Master Sgt. Tomer Dolev, 34: IDF reservist had a love of travel
Killed in a friendly fire incident near Netiv Ha’asara on October 8, 2023
Master Sgt. (res.) Tomer Dolev (Dabul), 34, a soldier with the Home Front Command, was killed on October 8 while fighting Hamas next to Netiv Ha’asara.
Tomer was on vacation in the Sinai when the Hamas invasion began on October 7, and he was called up to reserve duty, immediately heading back to Israel. On the second day of fighting, he was killed by accidental friendly fire following a mistaken identification amid the ongoing battle against the thousands of terrorists who had infiltrated southern Israel.
He was buried in Ashkelon on October 12. He is survived by his parents, Etti and Nissim, and his siblings Noy, Sapir, Toni, Harel and Almog.
Tomer worked as a sales manager for an office furniture company. He had just moved to a new apartment in Sde Hemed from Ramat Gan a few days before he went to travel in Sinai during the holiday period.
His family said that most of his belongings had yet to be unpacked, and his television had not been hooked up — but they weren’t surprised he had taken off for a trip in the middle of unpacking. Tomer traveled almost nonstop, his family said, including five months in India after he completed his mandatory army service — and more recent trips back to the country. He loved to ride motorcycles and participate in extreme sports during his travels.
His brother-in-law, Niv, wrote on Facebook that Tomer “enjoyed life and traveled at every opportunity. He was a loving uncle to our Or who always waited for him to come and go crazy with him… It’s hard to think that you’re not with us, you will always be in our hearts.”
His brother Almog wrote on Facebook to “Tomer, my dear brother.”
“I love you — nobody knows how inseparable we were, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do together, no matter where we were at different periods in our lives — we were always inseparable,” he wrote. “Talking, annoying each other, in my life I’ve never been closer to anybody else. I love you forever and I will always remember you.”
His sister, Toni, told Channel 13 news that Tomer “was loved by everyone — really, I know everyone says that but it’s really true.”
“People have been calling and saying that what they most remember from him is his smile,” said Toni. “He was always very witty, and unique, a chiller, optimistic, he loved Israel, he traveled a lot, he lived his life in the best way you could imagine.”
