They left behind spouses, infants and dreams of protecting their homes: Stories of the fallen soldiers

The disaster that struck the IDF on Monday, in which 21 of its finest soldiers have perished, has left a mark on a grieving nation; Here are their stories
Elisha Ben Kimon|
As the details became known on Tuesday about the IDF's largest disaster since the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson disclosed the names of the 21 fallen soldiers, killed from the impact of two RPG missiles fired by Hamas terrorists at a tank and boobytrapped buildings in the central Gaza Strip.
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Sergeant First Class (res.) Yoval Lopez

Yoval, 27, from Alon Shvut, is survived by a wife and three daughters, the youngest of which is 7 months old. His wife, Sigalit, received the bitter news in the middle of the night. Samaria council head, Yossi Dagan, said: "Yoval fell while protecting his homeland, leaving a massive void in our hearts. We will accompany Sigalit and the family for as long as it takes."
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יובל לופס
יובל לופס
Sergeant First Class (res.) Yoval Lopez

Sergeant Major (res.) Sergey Gontmaherr

Sergey, 37, from Ramat Gan, is survived by his wife and children. Ramat Gan mayor, Carmel Shama, eulogized: "Another family crushed, another wife widowed, children left fatherless and a wonderful man has paid with his life. The city, as a whole, recognizes the agony of Sergey's death and will do all it takes to embrace his wife, Marina, and their children. Like all others who have fallen, his name will be commemorated in the city he left home to protect from the Nazi monsters, putting himself on the line."
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סרגיי גונטמכר
סרגיי גונטמכר
Sergeant Major (res.) Sergey Gontmaherr

Sergeant First Class (res.) Elkana Yehuda Sfez

Elkana, 25, from Kiryat Arba, is survived by his parents and five siblings. He was eulogized by an announcement from the local municipality: "The Lord G-d will wipe away tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth." Sfez was buried on Har Herzl in Jerusalem.
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אלקנה יהודה ספז
אלקנה יהודה ספז
Sergeant First Class (res.) Elkana Yehuda Sfez

Sergeant Major (res.) Matan Lazar

The Haifa native is survived by his parents, Yosefa and Silvio. Matan, 32, used to work as an orderly at the Carmel Medical Center. Oren Herzman, his former history teacher, said: "Matan was a kind and modest boy, loved by his peers and educators. A straight-A student, opinionated and caring of others."
Among students from his high school, he is the 11th to fall in combat. He was buried at the military cemetery in Haifa.
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מתן לזר
מתן לזר
Sergeant Major (res.) Matan Lazar

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הלוויתו של  רס״ם מיל׳ מתן לזר
הלוויתו של  רס״ם מיל׳ מתן לזר
Matan Lazar's funeral in Haifa
(Photo: REUTERS /Shir Torem)

Master Sergeant (res.) Yoav Levi

Yoav, 29, from Yehud-Monoson, has been eulogized by his family: "Yoav, in your own modest, serene way, with a captivating smile, you were truly loved by all. You were a traveler at heart, the love of country was in your veins. You have given your soul to your nation. The longing is unbearable. We're inconsolably broken."
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רס״ר (מיל׳) יואב לוי
רס״ר (מיל׳) יואב לוי
Master Sergeant (res.) Yoav Levi

Sergeant First Class (res.) Cydrick Garin

Cydrick, 32, from Tel Aviv, was born in the Philippines and left school behind at a young age to help support his mother, who did not know a word of Hebrew. When he became a teenager, his life deteriorated to the point where he was drawn to crime and eventually arrested at his home, in front of his mother. "I asked to be handcuffed away from my mother, but she started crying and I finally told myself I need to change my life," he said in an interview in 2021. He was recognized by the IDF Southern Command as an outstanding soldier in the unit in April 2021.
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רס״ל (מיל׳) סדריק גרין
רס״ל (מיל׳) סדריק גרין
Sergeant First Class (res.) Cydrick Garin
(IDF)

Sergeant First Class (res.) Ahmad Abu-Latif

Ahmad, 26, from Rahat, a well-known and beloved person within the Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva, was employed in the school's security department. He is survived by his wife, daughter, parents, and 11 siblings. In a post he published several weeks into the war, he wrote: "I was driving with my brother-in-law on October 9 and we had received messages about terrorists infiltrating the Mishmar HaNegev region."
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רס״ל (מיל׳) אחמד אבו לטיף
רס״ל (מיל׳) אחמד אבו לטיף
Sergeant First Class (res.) Ahmad Abu-Latif
"As we are professionally trained and armed security personnel, we drove right over and started scouring the area for terrorists. The Bedouin community mourns those who have fallen victim through no fault of their own. We share the same fate and must remain united."

Sergeant Major (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff

Rafael, 33, from Pardes Hanna-Karkur, is survived by his wife and one-year-old baby boy. His father-in-law, David Syonov, said: "I spoke to him yesterday. He told me they were clearing the area. He said they won't go home until every single terrorist is dead. At two in the morning, I got a call from my daughter letting me know he was no longer with us. He was all about the State of Israel and fighting on its behalf."
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רס״ם (מיל׳) רפאל אליאס מושיוף
רס״ם (מיל׳) רפאל אליאס מושיוף
Sergeant Major (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff
(IDF)

Captain (res.) Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal

Ariel, 28, from Elazar, was the eldest child of Wolly and Heli, and is also survived by his wife, Sapir. He was an economics and business major, subsequently employed by an investment company. Gush Etzion Council head, Shlomo Ne'eman, said: "I met his mother Heli just last night, arranging an event for families of the troops deployed, and now we're arranging sitting shiva for her firstborn." Wollfstal was buried in the military section of the Kfar Etzion cemetery..
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סרן (מיל׳) אריאל מרדכי וולפסטל הי"ד
סרן (מיל׳) אריאל מרדכי וולפסטל הי"ד
Captain (res.) Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal

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הלווייתו של אריאל מרדכי וולפסטל ז"ל
הלווייתו של אריאל מרדכי וולפסטל ז"ל
Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal's funeral in Kfar Etzion
(Photo: AP /Maya Alleruzzo)

Sergeant Major (res.) Mark Kononovich

Mark, 35, from Herzliya, is survived by his wife and four children. Herzliya Mayor Moshe Padlon eulogized him: "The city mourns the loss of Sgt. Major Mark Kononovich, a hero. He left his wife and children to fight for the country he loved so much, and the pain is unbearable. We embrace the family and share their loss."
Mark began his employment as a security guard five years ago, and since then he was promoted to head a Justice Department task force for protecting personnel who were under threat.
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מארק קונונוביץ'
מארק קונונוביץ'
Sergeant Major (res.) Mark Kononovich

Sergeant Major (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid

Sergeant Major (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid, 33, a squad commander in the 261st Brigade’s 6261st Battalion, from Rishon Lezion. He left behind his wife, Anna; his three-year-old daughter, Noga; his parents and two brothers. The municipality mourned him in a statement: "Barak was a person full of joy, sharp and unusually intelligent. He loved surfing, playing basketball, and being surrounded by good friends. Behind Barak there is a whole story and a life that was cut short in an instant. Condolences to his dear family, grieving the loss. Barak - we will always remember you."
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רס"ם (במיל׳) ברק חיים בן ואליד
רס"ם (במיל׳) ברק חיים בן ואליד
Sergeant Major (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid

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הלווייתו של רס"ם (במיל') ברק חיים בן ואליד ז"ל
הלווייתו של רס"ם (במיל') ברק חיים בן ואליד ז"ל
Barak Haim Ben Valid's funeral
(Photo: Dana Kopel)

Sergeant Major (res.) Itamar Tal

Itamar, 32, of the 261st Brigade’s 6261st Battalion, was from Kibbutz Mesilot. He left behind his parents and three siblings. His relatives shared that he was a cheerful and pleasant man who loved life and his family. He worked as a programmer and enjoyed spending time with friends, traveling abroad, good food, sports, and his five nephews, to whom he was very attached.
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רס״ם (מיל׳) איתמר טל
רס״ם (מיל׳) איתמר טל
Sergeant Major (res.) Itamar Tal

Sergeant Major (res.) Daniel Kasau Zegeye

Daniel, 38, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, was from Yokneam Illit. He left behind his mother and 10 siblings. Tamar Negto, a family friend of Daniel, recounted: "Daniel volunteered the day after the Black Sabbath and joined as a reservist with his unit in Gaza. He studied at a yeshiva high school in Kfar Hasidim, graduated, and was conscripted in the Givati Brigade. He served as a combat soldier for three years. After his release, he studied electrical engineering, and in the last two years he worked for a company in Jerusalem. He got married five years ago to Anguetz, whom he met in Yokneam, and together they raised two children, Eitan, 4, and Liyu, 2."
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רס״ם (מיל׳) דניאל קאסאו זגייה
רס״ם (מיל׳) דניאל קאסאו זגייה
Sergeant Major (res.) Daniel Kasau Zegeye
(IDF)

Sergeant First Class (res.) Nicholas Berger

Nicholas, 22, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, was from Jerusalem. Natan Berger, Nicholas' uncle, told Ynet that his nephew was already in the stages of pre-conscription screening for the Israel Police's Yasam Special Patrol Unit. Nicholas had worked in recent years as a security guard for the light rail. His uncle shared that, during his service on the railway, he prevented two terror attacks and received a certificate of appreciation. "He was our beloved kid, a sensitive young man. Last Saturday I told him that maybe he had done enough. He said he wanted to finish this war. He always stood by his goals," he recounted.
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ניקולס ברגר
ניקולס ברגר
Sergeant First Class (res.) Nicholas Berger

Sergeant First Class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk

Hadar, 23, a squad commander in the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, was from Mevo Beitar. At the Boyar School in Jerusalem where he studied, they wrote: "Hadar was a true mensch, sharp-minded, a true friend to his friends, a loving and a supportive brother and son. He loved life and had big plans for the future. In his short life, he managed to experience many adventures. Hadar was conscripted into the reserves on October 7 and, since then, he fought almost without pause. Hadar was a classmate of the late Roee Nehari, who fell on October 7, and a member of the same cohort as the late Amit David, who was murdered at the Nova music festival."
As his family left for the funeral on Mount Herzl, dozens of residents from the Mevo Beitar settlement stood by the roadside, holding Israeli flags.
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הדר קפלוק
הדר קפלוק
Sergeant First Class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk

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הלווייתו של רס"ל (במיל') הדר קפלוק ז"ל
הלווייתו של רס"ל (במיל') הדר קפלוק ז"ל
Hadar Kapeluk's funeral
(Photo: Rafi Kotz)

Captain (res.) Nir Binyamin

Binyamin, 29, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Givatayim, grew up in the Hadassah Neurim Youth Village and studied at the Ben Gurion Educational Center. His parents, Michal and Ofer, are residents of the youth village, where they once ran the nursery. His father is currently part of the educational staff of the village. The Emek Hefer Regional Council paid tribute: 'We mourn the death of the late Capt. Nir Binyamin. We embrace the immense pain of the family, friends, and the entire community of Hadassah Neurim."
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סרן (מיל׳) ניר בנימין
סרן (מיל׳) ניר בנימין
Captain (res.) Nir Binyamin
(IDF)

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הלווייתו של סרן (במיל') ניר בנימין ז"ל
הלווייתו של סרן (במיל') ניר בנימין ז"ל
Nir Binyamin's funeral
(Photo: Yair Sagi)

Sergeant First Class (res.) Sagi Idan

Sagi, 24, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, graduated the Begin High School in his hometown Rosh HaAyin. He left behind his parents and a brother who serves in the regular forces. Limor, Idan's mother, shared that Sagi was a boy with a huge heart. "A sort of ray of light," she said. "His smile was heartwarming. He radiated his light onto every person he met. He was quiet but very serious. He set goals and achieved them. He was loved by all his friends; He had many friends around him."
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רס״ל (מיל׳) שגיא עידן
רס״ל (מיל׳) שגיא עידן
Sergeant First Class (res.) Sagi Idan
(IDF)

Master Sergeant Elkana Vizel

Elkana, 35, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Bnei Dekalim, is a graduate of the Hesder Yeshiva in Ramat Gan and lost four comrades in the war. He left behind his wife, Galit, and four children, parents, and seven siblings. He served as an educator at the elementary school in the community of Bnei Dekalim. Additionally, he and his friend, Yedidia Siman Tov, performed children's shows together.
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אלקנה ויזל
אלקנה ויזל
Master Sergeant Elkana Vizel

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הלוויתו של אלקנה ויזל
הלוויתו של אלקנה ויזל
Elkana Vizel's funeral
(Photo: Shalev Shalom)
In the tragedy also fell Sergeant First Class Israel Socol, 24, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Karnei Shomron; Sergeant Major (res.) Adam Bismut, 35, of the 261st Brigade’s 6261st Battalion, from Karnei Shomron; Sergeant Major (res.) Shay Biton Hayun, 40, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Zikhron Ya'akov.
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