Master Sgt. Gal Eisenkot, 25: Student was 'a man of truth and justice'

Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, of the 551st Brigade’s 699th Battalion, from Herzliya, was killed on December 7, 2023, while fighting in Gaza.

Gal, the son of former IDF chief and MK Gadi Eisenkot, was killed after a bomb exploded in a tunnel shaft near soldiers in the Jabaliya camp in northern Gaza. He was rushed in critical condition to a hospital in Israel, where he succumbed to his injuries.

It was later revealed that he and Master Sgt. (res.) Eyal Meir Berkowitz were killed as part of an ultimately successful operation to recover the bodies of hostages Eden Zecharya and Warrant Officer Ziv Dado.

Gal was buried on December 8, 2023, in Herzliya. He is survived by his parents, Gadi and Chana, and his siblings Guy, Rotem, Yael and Roz.

Gal was a student at Tel Aviv University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a specialty in bioinformatics. He was called up to reserve duty on October 7 with the start of the war and later entered Gaza as part of the ground operation. A day after he was killed, his first cousin, Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot, 19, was also slain while fighting in Gaza.

Gal’s friend Lee Yaron wrote on Facebook that Gal “was a man of truth and justice, straight as an arrow. A man of compassion and modesty and humility, Galgul you were so shy, you didn’t know how smart and beautiful you were.”

Gal, she added, “was a man of excellence and endless diligence, a man of caring and mercy, a man whose mouth and his heart always matched, whose every word was a commitment.”

“I want you to walk in the door with your normal huge hug… you always made my mother laugh, gave my father respect, with your heart-expanding eyes, your honest bashful smile, which has made me happy as long as I can remember. I loved you and I loved being near you from the moment you entered our lives.”

At his funeral, his father, Gadi, recalled a conversation with his son several years ago during which Gal said that he had missed his father throughout his childhood when the elder Eisenkot wasn’t around much due to his role in the IDF. “I told you mom was there for you throughout all of those years, and that I was very proud of the close relationships you had built with your mother and siblings,” Eisenkot said.

“When you grew up, I marveled at your immense seriousness and your sense of humor… For you, excellence was a way of life,” said Eisenkot. “Gal, I promise that we will continue the campaign [in Gaza], fighting to strengthen the state you so loved, and especially so that it will be strong, developed and just.”

He noted, “You would always criticize things that you disliked about what was happening here.” Voice breaking, he continued, “Galush, love of our heart, I promise you that we will continue to be a unified and happy family, so that the great sacrifice by you and the other fallen will not be in vain, and we will be deserving of it.”

Wrapping up his speech, Eisenkot said: “I salute you, my beloved son. We love you forever — your father, mother and the whole family.”