Those we have lost

Edna Malkamo, 45: Therapist who ‘always had a smile on her face’

Murdered by Hamas terrorists while driving to her home in Ofakim after a night shift on October 7

Edna Malkamo (Courtesy)
Edna Malkamo (Courtesy)

Edna Malkamo, 45, was killed by Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7, as she was driving to her home in Ofakim after working a night shift.

Malkamo was buried on October 15 in Ofakim, and leaves behind her husband Moshe and three children aged 11, 14 and 15.

Malkamo finished her shift as a therapist at the nearby ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran Rehabilitation Village at 7 am on October 7, and decided to drive home to join her family in their safe room. Rocket alert sirens had been sounding in the area from around 6:30 a.m., as terrorists fired a massive barrage of rockets and mortars at Israeli towns and cities.

Arriving in Ofakim, Malkamo inadvertently drove into a fierce gun battle between terrorists and armed civilians. She was shot in the crossfire and lost control of her vehicle, which was later found smashed into a wall.

Her body was identified a week after the October 7 massacres, during which time her family believed she may have been kidnapped to Gaza.

Malkamo’s friends and family remember her as a kind, giving woman, who cared deeply about the people around her.

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Malkamo moved to Israel during Operation Solomon in 1991 and settled in Ofakim, where she met her husband Moshe and started a family.

At her funeral, her husband said, “If Edna could send a message, she would ask us not to be sad. She would have wanted us to cling to life and not sadness.”

As well as her work as a therapist, Malkamo ran a hair salon from her home, where she “always had a smile on her face,” according to Moshe.

Her manager at the rehabilitation village described her as a “dedicated worker, responsible and gentle, really an angel, she did everything with nobility and grace… Edna would make sure that the residents were always groomed, made sure to cut their hair and make them look beautiful.”

Malkamo’s sister, Aviva, also works at the rehabilitation village near Ofakim. Her daughter, Malkamo’s niece, remembered her aunt as “a therapist with all her heart and soul… That was what she did her whole life. She was always working for the sake of others and helping others.”

Read more Those We Have Lost stories here. 

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