Sgt. First Class Orel Alon, 23: Rookie cop served country ‘with pride’

Sgt. First Class Shalom Orel Alon, 23, an officer in the Israel Police’s coordination of enforcement operations unit, from Kiryat Ata, was killed battling the Hamas invasion of Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7.

Orel had only returned home early that morning from police activity in Jerusalem, but with the start of the attack he hurried out to join his comrades in the fighting. He arrived first in Sderot, where they engaged in gunfire with a number of Hamas gunmen.

Orel then headed toward the hard-hit Kibbutz Be’eri. He entered the kibbutz with seven other police officers and a civilian, in two armored jeeps.

They were ambushed almost immediately by Hamas gunmen, and seven of the eight police officers were killed after RPG and later gunfire hit their vehicles.

Orel was slain alongside Chief Supt. Avi Amar, Supt. Dan Ganot, Supt. Vadim Blih, Sgt. First Class Mulugeta Gadif, Sgt. Maj. Boris Danilov, Sgt. 1st Class Dor Mangadi, Master Sgt. Eliran Abergel and civilian Ziv Shopen.

He was buried in Kiryat Ata on October 12. He is survived by his parents, Tali and Eli, and his four sisters Koral, Noya, Mori and Esther.

Orel was born and raised in Kiryat Ata where he attended local schools and was a good student, according to a police eulogy. A huge soccer fan, he rooted for the Maccabi Haifa team and also played with a local club.

He was a huge fan of the Israeli musician Ravid Plotnik, even tattooing some of his lyrics on his body, including: “Walking in blind faith and creating a new reality.”

After finishing high school, Orel enlisted in the IDF and served in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, taking part in many West Bank operations and also breaking his arm in one incident.

Orel decided that he wanted to continue a security career and join the police, with his sights set on the elite Yamam counter-terror unit. Since he didn’t think they would take him at such a young age, he decided to first gain experience in the coordination of enforcement operations unit, singing up in March 2023, just six months before he was killed.

His girlfriend, Noa, wrote on a memorial page that the pair “were so close even in our thoughts, we dreamed the same dreams at night, we aspired to the same achievements, we were different but similar, soulmates.”

Noa said the phrase “‘guardian angel’ gained new meaning during our time together. Without a doubt we were blessed to have each other, to love and be loved, pure and unconditional love,” she said. “We managed to do and go through in a year and a half what couples don’t manage in 10 years… You’ll always be a hero because you were a hero before, my hero.”

His mother, Tali, told a local news site, “The moment Orel was born I felt that a piece of my heart was torn out and attached to him. We had an incredible connection and a huge love for each other.” Tali said she always thought that she would one day lose her son, even seeking therapy to deal with her fears. When he finished his IDF service she was relieved, she said, and tried to dissuade him from joining the police force.

“We had an inexplicable connection, we would communicate with our eyes,” she said. “I think the fear of losing him was because he was so special and close to me… I think maybe because I had him for such a short time, our connection was so unique, so he could get as much from me as possible.”

Orel, she said, “loved this country and fought for it with pride.”

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