Sergeant Dolev Haim Malka from the Nachshon Battalion of the Kfir Brigade fell in southern Gaza last Friday and was buried on Sunday in the military section of the Shlomi cemetery.
19-year-old Malka, a volunteer for the Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom, left behind his parents, a brother, and a sister—along with numerous friends and loved ones.
Malka saved countless lives during his time as an MDA volunteer, first joining the organization as a teenager in 2018. He carried out numerous ambulance and MICU shifts in the north of Israel.
Remembering Dolev Haim Malka
Nir Dei, the head of volunteers at the MDA station in Shlomi, recounted his first time meeting Malka.
"I met Dolev about six years ago when he came to us at the MDA station in Shlomi as a 14-year-old boy and was a trainee in the first aid course,” Dei said. “He was a talented and professional volunteer, with thousands of volunteering hours and a lot of experience – which helped him save many lives.”
Dei continued to mention other charitable causes for which Malka had donated his time, money, and effort.
“He also helped distribute food on holidays and help the elderly. He was a kind-hearted person overall. He was smiling and charismatic,” Dei said. “May his memory be blessed."
Fellow MDA volunteers and friends of Malka, Nitay Dahan, Omer Ocampo, Roy Harfuf, and Shalev Butbul, recounted, "We met Dolev at the age of 15 at the MDA station in Shlomi, and we quickly bonded. For five years, we were inseparable - we were together on shifts, at school, and in our free time. We became a family. Now, there are four of us, missing and broken.
“Dolev just wanted to give of himself and help people. He was just someone who only wanted to do good in the world and be happy. A man of joy, family, and friends. We love him and will not forget him."