Sgt. Shir Shlomo, 19: Had ‘the biggest heart there was’
Killed October 7 when Hamas terrorists overran the Urim IDF base
Sgt. Shir Shlomo, 19, a Home Front Command soldier from Netanya, was killed on October 7 when Hamas terrorists overran the Urim IDF base.
Her family said Shir was on base but not on duty when the attack began, and they believe she headed to the war room to find a safe place after the rockets were fired. In footage published by Channel 12 news in April, Shir can be seen holed up inside alongside Cpt. Alina Pravosudova. After Sgt. Maj. Aharon Farash, who was guarding the main door, was killed, Shir took his weapon, after a brief instruction from Alina, and prepared to counter the terrorist invasion.
But the two armed soldiers were no match for the seven Hamas terrorists who broke into the room, and they were both shot dead, along with all but two of the others in the room, who were wounded and played dead in order to survive.
Shir was buried on October 10 in the military cemetery in Netanya. She is survived by her parents, Einat and Pinchas, and her siblings Adi, Tzachi and Sharon.
Her close friend, Netanel Avraham, wrote on Instagram that he is “still waiting for a hug and a ‘good morning’ from you. When will it come?”
“Shir had the biggest heart there was,” he added. “She always took care of everyone, always looked how to help, to love, to embrace in every possible situation.”
Her mother, Einat, told a local Netanya news site that Shir “was a talented girl who excelled in everything she did, whether it was school or the army.”
Einat said that “not long ago she received a certificate of excellence in the army. Because that was my daughter. Wonderful. Shir loved her army service and also her role. She was a beloved girl who was always surrounded by friends. Also in the army she was surrounded by people who loved her. Her death is simply an enormous loss.”
Her mother told Ynet that Shir “always made sure that everyone in the house was OK, would put herself aside for everyone else. We had a close connection, we were always together, she told me everything, especially if she was concerned.”
The high school she attended in Netanya established an annual physical education day in her honor on her birthday, citing her love for sport and exercise, and played a playlist of her favorite songs during the event, noting also what they said was her motto: “A smile is joy and joy is the strength to keep going.”
