Command Sgt. Maj. Yaron Dayan, 52: Cop ‘fought until his last moment’
Killed battling Hamas terrorists at the Sderot police station on October 7
Command Sgt. Maj. Yaron Morris Dayan, 52, from Kiryat Gat, a patrol officer with the Israel Police in Lachish, was killed on October 7 while battling Hamas terrorists in Sderot.
His family said he was on duty in the Sderot police station that morning, and when they called him to check in he told them that everything was fine but quickly hung up. Around the same time he left a voice note for another family member telling her that everything was OK, while in the background shouting could be heard in Arabic. That was the last they heard from him.
Later that night, his family was informed that he had been killed in a shootout with terrorists trying to overtake the police station.
Sgt. Ram Raybi, who fought alongside Yaron until his final moments, told Channel 14 that “the moment we got to the roof, he fought, shot, shot the terrorists until his ammunition ran out.” Raybi said he “threw him my weapon so he could keep fighting and I ran to get another officer’s gun,” noting that he was next to him when he was fatally wounded. “We did what we could.”
Yaron is survived by his wife and his children, Gil and Shirel. He was buried in Kiryat Gat on October 9.
His family said he had served in the police force for 30 years and was close to retirement when he was killed.
Speaking to Channel 14, his son Gil said the most difficult time now that he is gone is on Shabbat. “Every Friday he would bless us, he would come back from the synagogue and wish us Shabbat shalom — and we really miss it,” said Gil, noting that his father won’t get to see him get married and will never meet any of his grandchildren.
“My father was an incredible family man,” Gil told the Kan public radio. “He always thought about others… he fought until his last moment. That was my Dad.”
In a memorial video for Channel 13, Gil said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you as much or as deeply as you wanted me to. I’m sorry that I didn’t appreciate enough every second you sat next to me on the couch.”
“Thank you for who you were for me, Shirel, and Mom. Thank you for the education, for the laughter and the good in you, thank you for your help — you were always there for us, and we knew that with a dad like you, nothing in the world was scary,” he said. “I promise that my great-great-grandchildren will know who Yaron Dayan was.”
