Sgt. 1st Class Amir Fisher, 22: Lone soldier dreamed of soccer career

Sgt. First Class Amir Fisher, 22, of the Commando Brigade’s Duvdevan unit, from Tel Aviv, was killed on October 7 battling the Hamas invasion of Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

Amir and his comrades were sent to the hard-hit kibbutz, arriving there around 9:30 a.m., according to a state obituary. While going house to house to clear them of terrorists and rescue any residents, Amir and his team were ambushed by Hamas gunmen.

He was slain alongside his commander, Maj. Ben Bronshtein. His comrade, Sgt. 1st Class Yona Brief, rushed to help them, and was seriously injured, ultimately dying of his wounds a year later.

Amir was buried in Tel Aviv on October 9. He is survived by his parents, Sigal and Sharon, and his older sister, Or.

Born in Ness Ziona, his family decided to move abroad when he was 6 years old, settling in Romania for three years before moving to Ghana.

In Ghana, Amir attended an international school and pursued his biggest love – soccer, playing on a local team and dreaming of an international career. At 18 he moved to Prague to pursue his dream, and played for the Bohemians Prague youth league, and was about to sign a contract for the professional team.

But around the same time, during a visit to Israel, he met his girlfriend, Lior, and after spending more time with her and her friends, he decided to put off his professional soccer dreams and enlist in the Israeli army.

Amir returned to Israel in February 2020 with a youth group to prepare for the army, and enlisted on December 3, 2020, serving first in the Shaldag unit for a year before joining the elite Duvdevan commando unit.

Because his parents remained in Ghana, Amir was considered a lone soldier, although his comrades said he turned down the special consideration of longer breaks in order to spend more time with his team. His friends joked that he was the “least alone lone soldier.”

Amir was slated to be released from the IDF in April 2024 and was planning on traveling in Thailand and South America, studying business and taking the next steps in his relationship with Lior, his loved ones said.

His mother, Sigal, told the Ynet news site that Amir “was passionate about soccer and aspired to turn professional.” But when he started to think about the IDF, “the more intrigued he became. When he consulted us, we expressed our strong Israeli and Zionist identities but emphasized that the decision was his to make.”

During his time in Duvdevan, she said, “he thrived in his role, was highly sociable and competitive, and strived to excel. In his uniform, he felt invincible, like Superman, fearless in the face of danger. He was a remarkable young man, always looking out for others and energizing his group.”

His father, Sharon, told the news site that “Amir was a playful and sometimes mischievous kid, but he was also incredibly charming and had a knack for drawing people to him. Once he realized that soccer was more than just a hobby, he became incredibly focused and determined.”

Sharon said that, through his grief, he is constantly reminded of “Amir’s humor. He was incredibly witty, known for his spot-on impersonations of people, situations, and movie scenes. I miss sitting with him, laughing over various things. I miss him every single moment.”

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