'I still cannot swallow it': Families, officials eulogize deaths of Sgts. Asaf Zamir, Yair Eliyahou

Eliyahou, from Ezer, left behind his parents, Yaniv and Chava Eliyahou, and two siblings. Zamir, from Dimona, left behind his parents, Yarden and Miri Zamir, as well as his two siblings.

Eliyahou’s father called having him as a son a privilege. “I always asked myself if I’m good enough as a father, so the hearts I would receive in the morning on WhatsApp were the greatest pride, and I always saw the appreciation in your eyes.

“The appreciation, without saying a word, was always evident in your face. I still can't swallow it. I thought about something small that we always laughed about together: how you were a Hapoel [fan], and I was a Maccabi [fan], and how you were always happy when they won. In the end, you infected me with your happiness. Suddenly, I see pictures, and it's hard to comprehend. You were a very, very smart and loving child. And kind-hearted. We used to laugh together at silly jokes, just like two kids. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than you. I love you and salute you," he said.

"Yairush, my beautiful and beloved child, I always told you that you are like your name, 'Meir' – you light up every place you’re in, a child of light, of love, of joy,” his mother said. “Because everything you wanted, you always achieved easily without effort. I always said you always dictate, and not the other way around. And who knows, maybe you also dictated this to God for some reason that’s unclear to me. Maybe in a few years, I’ll understand."

"It comforts me to know that you passed away in the place you loved most, with the people you loved most, doing the job you loved most. Just this week, you told us they wanted you to go up on the embankment during the day, and you refused, saying to the commander that you were exposed to snipers this way and said it was a task you would carry out at night. And then, at night, you did it. And I was happy you made that judgment even in that place.

“From the day you were born, I feared the day you would enlist; I don’t know why. A year before your enlistment, you would call the recruitment office daily and say, 'I only want engineering.' I asked you, 'Yair, why engineering?' You answered, 'Because they go in first.' You’ll probably also pray for Hapoel Tel Aviv, maybe from above, you’ll get to see them win a derby or a championship," she concluded.

Dimona Mayor Benny Biton eulogized Sgt. Zamir in a Facebook post.

Biton said Zamir was a quiet, modest, handsome young man “with great respect for others,

Asaf always loved to help anyone in need.”

Zamir graduated with high honors from Zinman High School, according to the mayor, and was loved and admired by all his relatives.

According to Biton, Zamir was the grandson of legendary policeman Shlomo Zamir.