Tom Godo, 52: Musically talented Dad of three girls

Tom Godo, 52, from Kibbutz Kissufim, was slain in his home amid the Hamas attack on the kibbutz the morning of October 8.

Tom was shot dead through the door of the safe room as he tried to hold the handle closed. The rest of his family managed to escape out the window and was rescued.

The IDF revealed in May 2025 that Tom was accidentally slain by IDF soldiers who believed they were firing on Hamas terrorists.

Soldiers from the Givati Brigade entered the home on October 8 and heard noises coming from the family’s reinforced room. Believing there were terrorists inside the safe room, the soldiers opened fire on the door, which hit Tom, killing him as his wife and daughters escaped, reaching the troops stationed outside who brought them to safety.

Tom is survived by his wife, Limor Havdala, their daughters Romi, 11, Gefen, 6, and Tzuf, 4, as well as his parents, Yaacov and Yael, and his three younger brothers, Assaf, Itamar and Lee. He was buried on October 13 in Kibbutz Na’an.

The family had moved to Kissufim only a few months before October 7. Tom was very musical, had begun singing in a local choir, and the family was just starting to acclimate to their new home and surroundings when Hamas attacked.

He had an engineering degree from Ben Gurion University and worked in the industry.

Assaf Godo, his brother, recounted to the Kan public radio that “Tom was only a year and one month older than me. But he was a classic firstborn. Until age 10, I was his shadow, and I did basically everything he did. Sadly, I was never musical like he was,” said Asaf, dedicating the song “Agadat Deshe” (“The Legend of the Grass”), one of his brother’s favorites, in his memory, saying anytime it came on the radio, “He would sing along the entire time.”

At Tom’s funeral, his father, Yaacov, noted that “everyone who met and knew Tom couldn’t remain indifferent to his personality and his humanity. Those who did not have the privilege of knowing him, heard today of the man who was.”

On Facebook, Limor — who was evacuated to the Dead Sea with their three daughters — has shared snippets of memory and longing in the months since he was killed. “Tom loved to sit next to me, and I loved it,” she wrote. Marking the anniversary of when they met, she wrote: “13 years ago today Tom and I became a couple and my dream of happiness came true. And now what?” In February, she wrote simply: “I miss you so much. I miss us.”

Limor recounted to Channel 13 news the events of that day, and her guilt over escaping with her daughters out the window without trying to save Tom’s life.

Gefen, 6, told the TV station that her dad would practice soccer with her, and Tzuf, 4, said he would play “airplane… I miss him like crazy.”

“I wish the door had stronger protection,” added Gefen. “I wish Dad would come back to life. But I’d need to go back in time for that.”

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