In Noam’s way: The story of Sgt. Noam Ilay Ben Mucha
In the Ben Mucha family, Noam was always “the baby.” The fourth child, born into a cocoon of warmth, the one everyone showered with affection simply because he demanded it by his very presence. But behind the smile of the pampered child was a young man with a will of steel, determined to prove that he was a grown-up, that he belonged and that he deserved every measure of respect. On October 7, 2023, at the Kissufim outpost, Sgt. Noam Ilay Ben Moha proved that the boy who once wanted to be spoiled had become a hero who risked his life to protect his friends and country.
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‘Don’t worry, trust me’: The young man who never gave up on himself
Noam’s path was not always smooth. His sister, Bar Cohen, remembers a child who knew he was the youngest and most loved, yet constantly struggled to shed the label of “the baby.” “He would say, ‘Spoil me, don’t expect too much from me, I’m the little brother,’ but at the same time, ‘Respect me,’” recalls his sister Eden Halili.
His struggle for respect and self-worth followed him throughout his school years. Noam attended five different schools and faced significant social challenges, but he always reassured his parents: “Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I’ll get my matriculation certificate.” He knew how to balance rebellion with responsibility, and in the end, he kept his promise and earned his diploma.
At 15, a transformation took place. The little boy decided to become a man. He began training at the gym with meticulous dedication, worked nights and studied during the day. “He got into shape, he built himself up,” his mother, Fanny, recalls proudly. “He simply decided to transform himself.”
Following his older brother to Golani
When Noam approached military service, his goal was clear: to continue the family tradition. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and older brother, he dreamed of serving in Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion. Although he was initially assigned to the Border Police and was even accepted into a unit there, his heart pulled him elsewhere. When he received a call from the Tel Hashomer induction base offering to reopen his options, he did not hesitate. “Mom, I can’t let myself give this up,” he told her over the phone. “I want to go to Golani like my big brother.”
Military service became his arena of personal triumph. He flourished throughout basic training and advanced training, became an outstanding trainee and proved to everyone, especially himself, that he could succeed. “All through his childhood, he fought to be part of the group, to feel that he belonged,” his mother says. “And when he got to the army, he wasn’t willing to give that up.”
A great love and plans for the future
Between military duties and training, Noam found love. When Inbar entered his life, the family saw a different side of him: in love, shy and endlessly devoted. He planned to marry her as soon as he completed his service and, in a gesture of generosity that was so characteristic of him, gave her his first military paycheck so she could fulfill her dream of opening a nail business. “Take it, and buy all the nail polishes you need,” he told her.
The day before the Black Saturday attack, Noam called his mother and told her that Inbar would not be able to visit him at the outpost. His mother, who had never traveled to Kissufim before, decided that this time she would go. “I looked at him with admiration and couldn’t stop telling him how much I loved him and how proud I was of him,” she recalls. It was their final goodbye.
The final battle at Kissufim
On Saturday morning, at 6:20 a.m., Noam returned from patrol to the Kissufim outpost. When the chaos began, he called his mother, an unusual act on Shabbat for the traditionally observant family. “He was talking to me, but he wasn’t really with me. He was already planning something in his head,” Fanny recalls.
When word came of a terrorist infiltration, Noam realized that his close friend, Sgt. David Mittelman, of blessed memory, was alone at the gate position. Without hesitation, he ran to the armory, took two machine guns and sprinted under fire to join his friend.
A surveillance female soldier monitoring the battle over the radio pleaded with him to stop and return to the protected command center. “Noam, stop. There are hundreds of them. You have no chance.”
With the half-smile of a hero, Noam replied with the words that would become etched in his family’s memory: “I’m not moving from here.”
He and David fought until their last bullets. Through their stand, they halted the first wave of terrorists and prevented them from advancing deeper into the kibbutz and into the command center. Thanks to their courage, the lives of the surveillance soldiers and troops at the outpost were saved.
Noam Ilay Ben Mucha is survived by a grieving yet proud family and the legacy of “In Noam’s way,” a path of determination, true friendship and extraordinary sacrifice. He never gave up on himself in life, and he did not abandon his friends in battle.
May his memory be a blessing.
Sergeant
Noam Ilay Ben Mucha