Master Sgt. Michael Lizmi, 28: Cop was ‘the best father in the world’

Master Sgt. Michael Lizmi, 28, a police detective at the Beersheba station, from Ofakim, was killed battling the Hamas invasion of the city on October 7.

Michael and his wife, Ligal were woken that morning by the air raid sirens, and headed into their reinforced room with their baby and Michael’s mother. When they heard gunshots outside, Michael grabbed his pistol and ran outside in his pajamas to battle the terrorist invasion.

He was eventually killed by two terrorists who shot him from behind.

Michael was buried in Ofakim on October 11. He is survived by his wife, Ligal, daughter, Lihi, 1, his parents, Inbar and Eyal, and his three sisters, Shani, Or and Adi.

Michael dreamed of becoming a police officer from a young age and attended the Kannot boarding school, which has a program for kids intending to join the police force, according to a municipal eulogy. His teachers and counselors from the school described him as someone who always kept the peace among his friends and was dominant and loved by everyone.

He then attended a pre-military academy before enlisting in the IDF, serving in the Golani Brigade’s anti-tank company. After his release, he worked as a security guard, during which time he met Ligal, and in March 2021, he joined the police force. He began officer training earlier than most in his position, eager to advance, and was also pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminology.

His mother, Inbar, described her son to a local Beersheba news outlet as “a modest person with a big heart.”

She said Michael was an excellent father to baby Lihi, describing how he took mostly night shifts for a month and a half while she was kept home because of a case of abuse in her daycare so that he could look after her during the day.

His wife, Ligal said she knew Michael would be her husband and the father of her kids from the moment they first met.

“There was a special love between us, and I felt that God made him just for me,” she said, adding that he was a “special man, husband and father.”

“Michael was the best father in the world, he was addicted to Lihi. While he was at work, he would ask me to send him photos and videos of her and would just wait for his shift to end so he could come back and give her a kiss,” she said.

Ligal added that “what set Michael apart was his endless giving and how he always thought of others before himself. He was always the first to help and volunteer for everyone who needed it.”

Following in her brother’s footsteps, Shani joined the police force to be a detective in December 2023, and was given Michael’s gun that he had used to fight the terrorists. Inbar told Ynet that her other two daughters, Adi and Or, were also in the process of joining the police force.

“If I would have had a weapon that day, I would have also joined the fighting,” said Shani.

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