Kobi Paryante, 43: Dedicated family man and accomplished athlete

Kobi Paryante, 43, from Sderot, was murdered by Hamas terrorists while out running the morning of October 7 near the city.

He is survived by his parents, Amir and Jocelyn, his siblings, Rinat, Yossi, and May, his wife, Sivan, and his children, Harel, Neriya, Itamar, and Adia.

Paryante, who ran an advertising business while pursuing his passion for athletics, set out for an early morning workout on October 7 with two other running friends, Naomi Shitrit Azoulay and Ram Hayoun. The three were part of a tight-knit running club called “Sderot Front Runners.”

More than a month later, Hayoun told Maariv that when the rocket sirens started, they joked around but found a place to shelter. He also told Israeli media outlet Ynet that they soon saw and heard Hamas gunmen close by and quickly moved to another sheltered area that was more hidden.

“Kobi, who hadn’t yet gotten down on the ground, saw [a] terrorist and started running,” Hayoun told Ynet. “The terrorist fired and Kobi fell.”

Azoulay and Hayoun hid in silence for several hours before an IDF vehicle arrived and they called out for help. “Suddenly,” Hayoun said, “Kobi jumps out of a bush and says to us, ‘Wow, you’re alive! I can’t believe it.'” Paryante had not actually been shot but had led the terrorists to think he had been killed.

Unfortunately, the IDF soldiers were not able to safely evacuate the trio, so some were assigned to guard them while the others kept going, and eventually, they would come back to take everyone out.

“Suddenly,” Hayoun told Ynet, “one of the soldiers yells, ‘We’ve been hit.'” After a brief gun battle, the terrorists began throwing grenades. “After the second grenade, we were all already on the ground wounded. A terrorist approached, and Kobi, bleeding, tried to escape again. I heard a bunch of gunshots, then Kobi yelling and falling to the ground.”

The terrorist then shot at the other two, who were huddled together, killing Azoulay and severely wounding Hayoun. Eventually, Hayoun was found alive and evacuated from the area.

“There was something special about him, some kind of magic that everyone loved,” Paryante’s siblings wrote in a Facebook memorial post. “It’s hard to explain in words. [Everyone felt like] he was their best friend.”

“Kobi was a truly good person,” his siblings said. “Honest, people-loving… In our family, he was the funniest person in the house. He had an amazing sense of humor and a knack for impressions.”

His friend Sahar Suissa described him as “the best family man in the world.” He maintained a happy, fulfilling marriage with his wife for two decades and raised his children “magnificently.”

Paryante is remembered not only as a loving husband and father but also as a proud Zionist. “He knew and believed that he belonged to a nation that was special,” his siblings wrote. “It was important to him always to raise the flag and how proud he was of our people.”

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