Sgt. Maj. (res.) Dennis Yekimov, 33, of the Bislamach Brigade’s 17th Battalion, from Be’er Sheva was killed in battle on Saturday in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Sunday afternoon.
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Yekimov was laid to rest at the Be'er Sheva cemetery Sunday evening. His young daughter, Danlina, mourned him: "You were my best friend in the whole world. I love you so very much. I wanted to see you and will never see you again, only in pictures. You were the best father in the world."
His brother Igor said, "I'm already starting to miss you; you were the salt of the earth, sorry. But life doesn't stop, you left behind your most precious thing, your daughter, and we will protect her as you protected us. You sacrificed everything for us."
His brother Dima added, "Words cannot express what you were to us. You died defending the homeland like a true hero, an exemplary model."
Yekimov's sister, Diana, shared plans to publish his written work, "I would read every story you wrote. I will publish your book, and it will be heart-wrenching that it won't have an end."
The IDF death toll since October 7 has reached 586; 246 service members have killed been since the launch of ground operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.