“I’m anxious by nature, and I can’t say I never imagined something like this could happen, even in my worst nightmares. I did. But nothing prepares you for it. I can’t believe I’m speaking about him in the past tense.”
That is how Shai Tzarfati, father of Staff Sgt. Adam Tzarfati described the loss of his son, a fighter in the Maglan unit of the Commando Brigade, who was killed overnight between Sunday and Monday by a drone strike in southern Lebanon.
The deadly incident took place at about 1 a.m., when an FPV drone launched by Hezbollah struck an area where troops from the Golani Brigade combat team, operating under the 36th Division, were deployed near the Beaufort ridge, which had been captured by Israeli forces. Tzarfati was killed, and three other soldiers were wounded and evacuated by helicopter to a hospital.
“Adam was the most amazing child. Friendship was his motto,” his father said. “He was always helping others. He finished school two years ago, and two weeks later he went into the army. He was a child of love who looked only for the good and always took things upon himself. He was always the first to volunteer.”
His mother, Mali, added: “He was my beloved child, loved by the family and by his friends. It is so sad that we are losing such good children, such Zionist children. The world lost a wonderful child. If only you had the chance to know him, you would understand what a loss this is to the world. Everyone would cry with me. He was a child full of light and love. His life was cut short, 20 years, but 20 good years. He understood that living here means giving of yourself. And he gave everything he had, his life.”
According to his parents, Adam had dreamed of joining a combat unit from the age of 15. “Two years before the army, he had already started excellence training, combat fitness training three times a week,” his father said. “He went to the tryouts for Shayetet, he went to the tryouts for Sayeret Matkal, and in the end he reached an elite unit, Maglan and was the happiest person on earth. The day they selected him was the happiest day of his life."
‘Adam was a legend’
Dozens of Adam’s close friends came to the family home to comfort his parents. A., a teammate and friend from basic training, broke down in tears as he spoke about him. “I think I speak for the whole team when I say Adam always excelled at everything, but above all he was the best friend you could rely on,” he said. “He was someone you could talk to, someone who made our service easier. He was more than a teammate, he was a soulmate. The whole unit knew him. He was a legend. The commanders loved him. He was an outstanding fighter.”
He said the bond between them formed during basic training. “Sometimes there were disagreements because he was opinionated, but he would immediately apologize after a fight,” he said.
Gal, a childhood friend, said Adam was always driven to excel. “Adam always pursued excellence and always wanted to contribute as much as possible,” he said. “When he enlisted, he didn’t think twice. He aimed as high as possible and was always surrounded by friends. He was very active in the Scouts and always knew everyone there. It was even annoying. We would tell him, ‘Enough, how long can you keep talking to friends?’ I don’t know how you eulogize a 20-year-old.”
Roy Nitzani, a high school friend, recalled Adam’s determination to do meaningful military service. “He was the glue of our group,” he said. “Before the army, we were all doing combat fitness. We wanted to get as far as possible. I was less obsessed with it, but he got me into it from age 15 and talked about the army all the time. He got all of us into it.”
Another childhood friend, Tamir Arnold, said the two became friends in seventh grade. “I immediately saw that he had a huge heart,” he said. “He loved everyone. We were at his house every evening, and the laughter never ended. He hosted like a king and always initiated the gatherings. It is impossible to grasp that a friend like his is no longer with us.”
First published: 15:58, 06.01.26