Just ten meters separated Captain Y. from his friend and commander, Major Yaniv Kula, when Kula was struck during a clash with terrorists in Rafah. Seconds earlier, the two had charged toward the terrorists, with Kula passing Y. and taking the lead.
Second Lieutenant Itai Yaavetz, Kula’s radio operator, was also killed in the battle. Today, Y. commands a company in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion at the brigade’s training base. The loss of his comrades remains with him on every march, during every training session and whenever he stands before the young soldiers entrusted to his care.
“I see him passing me," Y. recalled in an interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News. “We were really close to each other. I was on the right, he was on the left, and I saw him pass me. He went down about ten meters from me, really close to me, and was hit."
The battle took place during an operation against a terrorist battalion in eastern Rafah. Kula commanded the 932nd Battalion’s lead company, Yaavetz served as his radio operator, and Y. commanded the combat engineering platoon. Together with a sniper team, they searched for terrorist tunnels and worked to destroy the infrastructure.
When the soldiers encountered terrorists, they charged toward them.
“Yaniv told me, ‘Stop, I’m leading,’" Y. recalled. “I told him, ‘Yaniv, I’m right behind you. Let me do it; I’m already in the middle of the charge.’" But Kula continued forward, passed him and was hit.
Y. finds it difficult to describe his comrades as fallen soldiers.
“It’s hard for me to use that word because I truly see them as heroes and role models for all of us, for the entire Jewish people," he said.
He believes their charge prevented even heavier casualties. “Both Yaniv and Itai charged straight at the terrorists. By charging forward and preventing them from charging at us, we prevented a much greater disaster."
Shortly before the battle, Kula had told Y. that although he could have stayed home for a few more months, he had been privileged to command a company in combat on three different fronts. He had taken up the position several months earlier than planned because of the battalion’s needs.
“I will never forget that sentence," Y. said. “He truly believed in the mission."
That sense of mission now shapes the way Y. trains his soldiers. He adopted Kula’s battle cry, based on a phrase from the Palmach, the pre-state Jewish fighting force: “For the mission - always us." Before marches, training exercises and operational activities, Y. calls out, “For the mission!" His soldiers respond together: “Always us!"
“We walk in their light and draw strength from them," he said. “Our strength comes from them, and our light comes from them."
For Y., remembering the fallen is also about passing their sense of responsibility to the next generation.
Y. enlisted in March 2022 after five years of study at Yeshivat Ateret Kohanim. Although he could have tried to join an elite unit, he deliberately chose to serve in the Nahal Brigade’s regular battalions.
“I believe that this is where you most need to be," he said. “It’s the place that is less comfortable, less glamorous and less in the spotlight."
He believes the regular battalions carry much of the burden of combat and ongoing security operations, despite the demanding work often taking place far from public attention.
“I think most of the fighting, in the end, is carried out by the battalions," he said.
Y. credits his years of yeshiva study with giving him a strong spiritual foundation and helping him understand his responsibility toward the Jewish people.
“The yeshiva built in me an understanding of what the Jewish people are, what the Land of Israel is, why it is important to serve in the army and why it is important to support the state," he said. “It gave me the ability to find answers to these questions, and it is what sustains me in the army to this day."
On October 7, 2023, Y. was serving with a force reinforcing the Hebron sector near the Route of the Worshipers. When Hamas launched its attack, the soldiers quickly organized, boarded buses and headed south, first reaching Ofakim before continuing to Kissufim.
During the journey, Y. sat beside a friend from Kibbutz Be’eri who was trying to contact his family and help them escape the gunfire.
“We were talking to his family, trying to figure out how they could save themselves, because they were being shot at while they were still in the shelter," he recalled. “That was when I understood what kind of event we were dealing with and what we were heading into."
The scenes the soldiers encountered in the combat zones deepened Y.’s understanding of his mission. He said he made two decisions that continue to guide him.
“No matter what, I love every Jew, I will help every Jew, and I will do my very best to make things better for them," he said.
He also resolved to remember every day how precious the Land of Israel is to him.
“This is what I teach my soldiers: love of the nation, love of the land, and being good people first and foremost, as well as good fighters who are prepared for every scenario."
Y. said he understood from the outset that he might not return from the fighting. His faith, however, enabled him to focus on the mission.
“I went in knowing that if the Almighty decided that this was to be my end, then that was my end," he said. “I have complete faith that I am doing the right thing, which is defending the Jewish people. Whether I come out or not is in the hands of Heaven."
Having accepted that possibility, he refused to let fear stop him. “I will fight with all my strength. That is what sustained me."
During the war, Y. took part in numerous combat operations, including missions to recover hostages and fallen soldiers. One of the most significant was the search for Hadar Goldin, the IDF officer whose body was taken into Gaza in 2014.
Y. recalled days spent searching tunnels, determined to find Hadar Goldin and bring him home for burial in Israel.
“I was privileged to take part in several days of searching, going through one tunnel after another," he said. “We believed we would find him and bring him back. Even after years have passed, we do not give up on a single Jew, and we will do everything to bring every Jew home."
His force also participated in receiving the coffins of fallen soldiers returned to Israel. For Y., the commitment to bring everyone home does not diminish with time or difficulty.
Now a company commander at the Nahal Brigade’s training base, Y. is determined to pass the war’s operational and moral lessons to the next generation. Training has changed significantly since October 7, he said, with commanders incorporating realistic scenarios, rapid-response drills and exercises designed to prepare recruits for extreme situations.
“We have to be ready at all times and for every scenario," he explained. “We need to understand where threats can come from, what threats we are facing and how to respond correctly."
He also emphasizes battlefield heritage and remembrance. Under the Nahal Eitan project, each platoon adopts a bereaved family and maintains contact throughout the training period. Soldiers meet relatives, hear about their loved ones and learn about the values that guided them.
“We do not forget them. They are with us; we learn from them, and they live within us," Y. said.
Despite the heavy toll of a prolonged war, he is struck by the motivation of new recruits eager to serve in combat units.
“I am amazed by it every time," he said. “You would think it would be the opposite. There is a war and people are being killed, so you would expect people not to want to join combat units. But the opposite is happening. More people want to serve, and they are full of motivation."
Even soldiers struggling with the physical demands, exhaustion and lack of sleep continue to see their service as essential.
“You speak to soldiers, even those who are struggling, and they tell you: ‘Yes, this is the most important thing,’" he said.
Y. sees the bond between soldiers and Israeli society as a major source of the IDF’s strength. His family immigrated from France, where he grew up in a home shaped by Zionism and love of the Land of Israel. Of the family’s eight children, five were born in France and three in Israel. His brothers also served as combat soldiers.
Before enlisting, he participated in activities with Jewish teenagers in France to strengthen their connection to Israel and their Jewish heritage. While antisemitism is a growing concern for the French Jewish community, he believes aliyah should be motivated by love of Israel rather than fear.
“We make aliyah because we want the Land of Israel, believe in it and love it," he said. “That is the foundation."
Y. believes the partnership forged among soldiers offers a lesson for Israeli society, where political divisions often run deep.
“We are all carrying the same responsibilities," he said. “We cover for one another, save one another and put ourselves at risk for one another."
He deliberately keeps political disputes out of discussions within his company, focusing instead on what unites the soldiers.
“You can disagree and still be friends, partners and brothers to one another, and do everything for one another even when you disagree," he said.
Asked about the Nahal Brigade’s performance during the war, Y. expressed pride in its recovery and continued fighting despite the heavy losses it suffered on October 7. He sees the brigade’s journey as reflecting that of the Jewish people.
“I think the brigade tells the story of the Jewish people," he said. “Despite the tremendous blow we suffered that day, the Jewish people recovered very quickly."
He stressed that military achievements do not erase the sacrifice of the fallen and their families.
“We remember the fallen very deeply. We talk about them all the time and educate our soldiers in their spirit. They are truly our heroes and our guides."
Still, he is convinced that the determination of the fighters demonstrates the resilience of the Jewish people.
“I always knew that the Jewish people would win," he said. “The Jewish people are stronger and more resilient than anything anyone can imagine."
For Y., one of the clearest signs that the soldiers’ efforts are worthwhile comes when he leaves the base and sees Israelis continuing with their lives.
“That gives me the greatest peace of mind and comfort," he said. “We are at war, but the Jewish people live. That is our goal as fighters: for the Jewish people to continue living and not be harmed."
Y. had not initially planned a lengthy military career, but he has continued whenever the army needed him and he felt he could contribute. He has not yet decided on his next role, but says he will serve wherever he can make a difference.
“If it cannot be in the army, then we will give wherever we are," he said. “The main thing is to give to the Jewish people."
He concluded with a message of gratitude to the Israeli public for its support throughout the war.
“We love you and thank you for all the encouragement you give us, for all the love you pour out on us and for always being there for us. We will do everything so that you can continue living in joy and tranquility, and so that, with God’s help, we will hear only good news."