Sgt. Emil Samoylov, 22: Lone soldier immigrated from Russia to enlist
Killed battling the Hamas attack on the Erez IDF outpost on October 7
Sgt. Emil Eliav Samoylov, 22, a guard with COGAT, from Haifa, was killed on October 7 when Hamas attacked the Erez Crossing.
A security guard in the unit, Emil was stationed at the Erez outpost right next to the crossing from Gaza, which was among the first places attacked when Hamas stormed across the border.
He was wounded when the Hamas gunmen attacked the guard post where he was on duty, and he ran into the on-base bomb shelter where Staff Sgt. Or Malka was on a video call with his girlfriend. Emil, Or and Cpl. Lidor Mekayes were slain when the Hamas invaders attacked the shelter. Cpl. Nik Beizer and Sgt. Ron Sherman were kidnapped and later killed in Gaza, their bodies recovered by IDF troops, while Tamir Nimrodi, a soldier who was taken captive with Nik and Ron, is believed to still be held hostage in Gaza.
Emil was buried in Tel Aviv on October 11. He is survived by his parents, Rita and Pinchas, and his siblings Leonard, Vadislav and Maria.
Born in Russia, Emil attended a Chabad school in Moscow starting in 3rd grade, according to Kfar Chabad magazine. Rabbi Yosef Kenig, who was the principal of the school, told the magazine that Emil arrived without a strong background or Hebrew knowledge, “and he had no small number of challenges, but stayed with us for the whole journey, and became the one who united the class together… His mother said that because of him she became religious and is now observant.”
In 2021, Emil moved to Israel – where he had a number of cousins and a grandmother – to fulfill his dream of serving in the IDF. In April 2022 he enlisted in the army, serving in COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) as a security guard. He was very into physical fitness, and continued to keep up a workout regiment on base, his comrades said.
His commander, Elhanan Hazan, told Channel 12 news that “Emil was like my little brother, both because of his unique personality and also because he was a lone soldier. Emil was a friend, a true partner, and one of those people who as soon as you say their name – anyone who hears it smiles.”
Emil’s friend Avner Ragimov wrote on Facebook that he was “a pure kid. You were so modest, so pleasant, always ready to help and give of yourself to help those around you, there’s nobody in the world who could say a bad thing about you – everybody who knows you would agree… A special kid with extraordinary kindness.”