Maj. (res.) Itamar Sapir, 27, a Maglan reserve officer and father of an 18-month-old boy, was killed Tuesday in a clash with a Hezbollah terrorist in southern Lebanon.
Sapir is survived by his wife, Roi, their son Maayan Yiftach, his parents and siblings. He lived in Ariel and grew up in the settlement of Eli in the West Bank.
The incident occurred Tuesday morning as Israeli forces operated in the village of Qouzah, north of Ayta ash-Shab, inside the area of the Yellow Line under IDF control. The troops were operating outside a church when the terrorist opened fire at them from inside the building. Additional soldiers were wounded in the incident.
Erez, Sapir’s father-in-law, said Tuesday evening that Sapir had managed to speak with his wife, Roi, before he was killed.
“He was an outstanding father, an outstanding commander, an outstanding son-in-law and an outstanding person,” Erez said.
Sapir’s son, Maayan Iftah, was named after Cpt. Iftah Yavetz, a fellow Maglan officer and friend of Sapir’s who was killed fighting in Nahal Oz during the October 7 massacre.
“He was named after Iftah Yavetz, who was killed on October 7 and was Itamar’s friend,” Erez said.
Erez said Sapir had been serving as a company commander because the company commander was not in the sector at the time.
“We were privileged to speak with him last Friday, when he went up to Lebanon, and we said goodbye,” he said. “Itamar always had a huge smile. Anyone who saw him understood what a smile and what good eyes he had, and how many talents he had. He lived in Eli and studied there at the yeshiva. He had a desire to do good in the world, wherever he was. Our whole family was privileged to be part of his life.”
Yavetz, for whom Sapir named his son, was also an officer in Maglan. He fought with his comrades in Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7. A talented tennis player, he could have pursued the path of an outstanding athlete, but gave it up in order to serve as a Maglan fighter and commander.
Sapir studied at the Neve Shmuel yeshiva in Efrat and enlisted in Maglan in 2019. He completed his regular service after serving as a platoon commander in the unit. In the reserves, he served as deputy company commander in Battalion 7008 of the Fire Arrows Formation, also known as the 551st Brigade.
Meir, a childhood friend, described him as “the most honest friend I know.”
“A happy and opinionated friend with a wonderful family,” Meir said. “A friend who, when he wanted something, would invest everything he had to achieve his goal.”
Liat Friedman, a cousin of Sapir’s father, said she had known him since childhood.
“We grew up like cousins. He was younger than me, and I admired him,” she said. “He succeeded everywhere, a stunningly handsome boy, beautiful and full of gentleness. He completed every stage with distinction. When he was discharged, I thought this was behind us, but unfortunately, it reached us too.”
Sapir had recently begun studying computer science at the Hebrew University.
“Every summer we were always together,” Friedman said. “One of my memories is walking together to his great-grandmother, who is my grandmother, and we would sing the songs she loved. The bond was strong. At his wedding, because of the coronavirus restrictions, only 50 guests were allowed, and I managed to get in. Whenever we met, the connection was close, even if we had not spoken for a long time. This is a great loss. Itamar grew up in a family and was educated on love for the people of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the State of Israel.”
Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz said the community was heartbroken by Sapir’s death.
“All of our hearts are broken by the fall of Maj. Itamar Sapir,” Ganz said. “Itamar grew up in Eli, a community that has already sacrificed many of its finest sons since the start of the war. The community of Eli sends its sons to the front with faith, responsibility and endless devotion, and to our great sorrow, this time its son did not return.
“He is part of a remarkable generation of fighters, a generation that builds a home, raises children, loves life and, in the same breath, stands up without hesitation to defend the State of Israel,” Ganz said.