Staff Sgt. Yogev Aharon, 20: Golani soldier dreamed of overseas travel

Staff Sgt. Yogev Aharon, 20, a Golani Brigade soldier from Pardes Hanna, was killed on October 7 battling the Hamas invasion of the IDF Kissufim outpost.

Yogev was stationed at the outpost next to the Gaza border that Saturday morning. Awakened by the rocket fire, he ran for the on-base bomb shelter, and when he realized that Hamas gunmen had infiltrated the base, he took his weapon and positioned himself at the entrance, barefoot and in pajamas, according to an IDF eulogy.

The Hamas infiltrators threw grenades inside the shelter, several of which Yogev threw back outside, until they threw another explosive inside which blew up, killing Yogev and six others, including Staff Sgt. Teshager Taka, Sgt. Uriel Segal and Staff Sgt. Or Asto.

Yogev was buried in Pardes Hanna on October 11. He is survived by his mother, Nehama, and his four older siblings, Dean, Adir, Oren and Aviv. His father, Amir, died in December 2022.

Born and raised in Pardes Hanna, Yogev was always a determined kid, his loved ones said, and despite a gentle soul, always dreamed of a combat role in the IDF. He was a prankster and always ready with a joke and a smile, friends said, livening up even difficult situations.

He enlisted in August 2021, serving as a Negevist in the Golani Brigade. A year later, his father died, and Yogev felt the need to be closer to his family and stepped back from a combat role, transferring to serve in the Golani war room on the Kissufim outpost.

Yogev’s comrade, Roi, wrote that he was “a person who was always smiling, and causing everyone around him to smile and laugh. Any dark moments the platoon would have, Yogev knew how to turn to a funny and less dark moment… Even when Yogev left the platoon because he was needed at home, he was always a part of us and we were all waiting for him to come back.”

His close friend, Adir Romano, wrote on Facebook that Yogev “was a kid everyone loved… I’ll never forget how you would do an impression of me and laugh your real laugh.”

He recalled the last time he saw Yogev, when he came up behind him on his motorcycle “with your shy smile… you told me how you were waiting to get out of the army and take a trip to South America for a year… You told everyone that you didn’t have much left, just another four months.”

Yogev’s brother, Adir, wrote, “I have no words that can describe what is going on here. I still think I’m in some nightmare or bad dream that I will wake up from at any moment. I love you so much… I hope and believe that Dad is already welcoming you up above.”

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