Staff Sgt. Erez Mishlovsky, 20: Quiet Givati soldier with a ‘huge heart’
Killed alongside 10 comrades when struck by an anti-tank guided missile in northern Gaza on October 31, 2023
Staff Sgt. Erez Mishlovsky, 20, a Givati Brigade soldier from Oranit, was killed fighting in northern Gaza on October 31.
Erez was one of 11 soldiers from the Givati Infantry Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion who were killed on the same day when a Namer armored personnel carrier they were in was hit by an anti-tank guided missile fired by Hamas, the IDF said — including Staff Sgt. Adi Danan, Staff Sgt. Itay Yehuda and Lt. Pedayah Mark.
He was buried on November 2 in Tel Aviv. He is survived by his parents, Sophie and Yariv, siblings Guy, Aayah and Noa, and his girlfriend, Eden.
In a charred letter to his loved ones found on his body after his death, Erez wrote: “Hi. I had so many things to write but in the moment of truth everything fled my mind. Who could imagine that the moment would come that I would be entering Gaza as a soldier… when I was a kid, you always protected me. Now is my turn to protect you.”
Erez was a talented basketball player, his family said, who was quiet and modest but always there to help others. His favorite food was spaghetti bolognese, which he always craved when he was home on breaks from the army.
His girlfriend, Eden, who enlisted in the army not long after he was killed, told Ynet that “I always said he was a hero and a champion and to watch out for himself. Erez was always the brainy one, he had a huge heart. He would always tell his friends to make the right choices and he was there for others. I will take that with me into my service. He was very introverted, but his personality burrowed deep into people. He will always be in my heart.”
On the day that Erez was slated to be released from his military service, his mother, Sophie, wrote to him in an Instagram post.
“Our hero son, today you were supposed to be released and to once again become a civilian,” she wrote. “There were plans and there was talk about what you would do the day after… I planned to take a sabbatical and spend some of the time with you. But fate decided otherwise, and you’re not here!”
Sophie wrote that her pain and grief was all encompassing, but accompanied by pride: “Every path you chose, all the courage you showed and all the loyalty, brotherhood, and faith in the cause for which we went to war. My dear son, we will learn to grow from the pain, be strong, and continue to memorialize you and your journey. The way of Erez — the strength, the power, quietly and humbly.”
