They paid with their lives to stop terrorists from killing us

Ten soldiers laid to rest after fatalities in three separate incidents on Monday.

By JEREMY SHARON
Soldiers carry the coffin of St.-Sgt. Eliav Eliyahu Haim Kahlon during his funeral at the Safed Military Cemetery. (photo credit: FLASH 90)
Soldiers carry the coffin of St.-Sgt. Eliav Eliyahu Haim Kahlon during his funeral at the Safed Military Cemetery.
(photo credit: FLASH 90)
The 10 IDF soldiers killed in various incidents on Monday were buried on Tuesday.
Five of those were killed when Hamas operatives infiltrated Israel via a tunnel under the Gaza-Israel border, emerging close to Kibbutz Nahal Oz, and fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF watchtower.
All five soldiers had been taking part in a commanders’ training course.
Among those killed in the incident was Sgt. Erez Sagi, 19, from Kiryat Ono. He was buried on Tuesday in the Haifa Military Cemetery.
Sagi’s cousin Yaniv Haran said: “We don’t know what happened exactly in the incident, but it’s clear that he paid with his life to prevent terrorists from getting into the kibbutz and murdering the residents.”
Sgt. Nadav Raimond, 19, from Shadmot Devora in the Galilee was also killed in the attack. He was buried in his hometown on Tuesday.
His uncle Ziv Sar said that Nadav was always surrounded by friends and had a very deep relationship with his family.
Sgt. Barkai Ishai Shor, 21, from Jerusalem, was another victim of the cross-border tunnel attack. He was buried in the capital’s military cemetery on Mount Herzl on Tuesday evening.
Barkai was praised by family, friends and acquaintances as being an exceptionally giving young man who always sought to help others. When he got leave from the army, he would volunteer with Magen David Adom.
“Our Barkai, a child beloved above everything, a volunteer who was all heart,” his father said.
In a separate incident, four IDF soldiers were killed by a mortar shell fired from Gaza on Monday. Among those killed in this attack were St.-Sgt. Eliav Eliyau Haim Kahlon, 22, from Safed. He was buried in the Safed Military Cemetery on Tuesday.
Kahlon’s parents had wanted to visit him in recent days, but he asked them not to come, as he said to them he did not think he could stand parting from them. His sister went into early labor upon hearing the news.
Cpl. Meidan Maimon Biton, 20, from Netivot, was also killed by the mortar fire. He was buried in the military section of the Netivot Cemetery on Tuesday.
A friend of Meidan said he was always full of life, with an exceptionally good sense of humor. “No one could sit next to him and not smile.”
Cpl. Niran Cohen, 20, from Tiberias, was killed by the mortar attack and was buried in the military cemetery in his hometown on Tuesday.
His sister Mor described him as “a good kid whom everyone loved. He died a hero.”
A close friend of Niran said he had loved to volunteer his time and was always helping others in his unit.
“I can’t accept it. We did everything together. I have no answer as to how I move on from here. He was an inseparable part of me.”
In a separate incident, St.- Sgt. Moshe Davino, 20, from Jerusalem, was killed in the Gaza Strip on Monday.
Davino, who was serving in the Combat Engineers, was killed by an anti-tank missile which struck the bulldozer he was operating. He was laid to rest at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem.
A good friend of Davino said he had been a joyful person. “The best guy in Jerusalem. We did everything together. We were together in school, we were drafted into the IDF together, and we did basic training together. He loved to enjoy life and to laugh.”