Those we have lost

Staff Sgt. Tal Levy, 21: Brave commander who put his soldiers first

Killed battling Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Sufa on October 7

Sergeant Tal Levy was killed on October 7, 2023, as he and his soldiers tried to defend the IDF outpost on Kibbutz Sufa from Hamas terrorists (Courtesy)
Sergeant Tal Levy was killed on October 7, 2023, as he and his soldiers tried to defend the IDF outpost on Kibbutz Sufa from Hamas terrorists (Courtesy)

Staff Sgt. Tal Levy, 21, squad commander in the Nahal Brigade’s 50th Battalion, was killed fighting terrorists in southern Israel on October 7.

He was buried on October 12 in the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. He is survived by his parents, Zehava and Abraham Levy, and his siblings, Shiran, Michal and his twin, Noam.

Levy served as a soldier for two years and seven months, and was a week and a half away from his discharge date, with a ticket to South America, when Hamas terrorists attacked the Gaza border communities on October 7.

On that Shabbat morning, Levy was with 11 of his soldiers at 6:30 in the morning when the barrage of rocket fire began. He told them not to worry, reassuring them that it was similar to the other rockets they’d experienced in the previous month and a half.

As the barrage worsened, he put his soldiers in a bunker as 60 terrorists began invading the IDF outpost, followed by another wave of Hamas gunmen.

Levy’s soldiers ran to get more ammunition as he attempted to hold off the terrorists’ fire for half an hour, not yet understanding the magnitude of the attack. The terrorists closed in on Levy and his soldiers and fired an RPG, targeting Levy and his soldiers, and killing four of them.

“Even in your final moments, you were one of the first to make contact, you did everything you could to stop the terrorists and to protect your soldiers and the outpost,” said Levy’s platoon commander Ben Buklan and Major Daniel Lifshitz, in their eulogy for him.

Levy was known to his friends, fellow soldiers and peers as someone with motivation and pride in his IDF service.

“You were someone who could always be relied upon,” said Buklan. “You never asked ‘why me’ when given a task. You were a leading commander, with values and a caring attitude who loved his men, and was an amazing friend as well.”

Levy was born and raised in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem, where he attended the Or Torah High School in Ramot and was a dedicated fan of Beitar and Real Madrid soccer teams.

He was looking forward to his post-army trip, with a ticket purchased for December 4, 2023. Levy had already purchased all his equipment and on his last Shabbat at home, had tried it all on and said, “I’m ready for the big trip.”

As part of a series of projects to commemorate Levy, friends and family are collecting donations for a Torah scroll in his name, the restoration of Kibbutz Sufa where Levy served for the last month and a half of his service, and to purchase necessary equipment for the IDF soldiers.

Read more Those We Have Lost stories here.

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