Cedrick, Elkana, Ahmad, Rafael, Matan

Wide swath of society: The stories of some of the 21 troops killed in Gaza blast

Cedrick Garin went from criminal teen to exemplary soldier; Ahmad Abu Latif was ‘proud to be Bedouin Israeli’; Elkana Vizel left letter asking loved ones not to be sad if he dies

Michael Bachner is a news editor at The Times of Israel

Family and friends of Israeli soldier Master Sgt. Elkana Vizel attend his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on January 23, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Family and friends of Israeli soldier Master Sgt. Elkana Vizel attend his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on January 23, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Twenty-one Israeli soldiers were killed Monday in the deadliest single incident for Israel Defense Forces troops since the ongoing Gaza ground operation began.

The tragedy occurred when the group of reservists came under RPG attack in the southern Gaza Strip, triggering a blast that collapsed two buildings with the soldiers inside them.

Here are some of the stories of the fallen:

Sgt. First Class (res.) Cedrick Garin, 23, from Tel Aviv

Garin was born in the Philippines and came to Israel as a child with his mother, who worked as a cleaner for many hours every day.

At one point, he dropped out of school and got involved in crime, with cops coming to his home one day to arrest him on suspicion of a violent offense. Garin asked for his mother not to have to see him being handcuffed.

“She started crying. I suddenly saw how much I was making it hard for her and how much she was feeling alone,” he later told the IDF’s website, calling it a life-changing moment.

He ended up joining the army — after pleading with officials to enlist him despite his existing criminal cases — and earned a certificate of distinction from the head of the IDF’s Southern Command for his service.

His mother, Imelda, mourned him on Facebook Tuesday: “How will I cope with everything now that you’re gone? I’m going to miss you so much. I love you, my child. I will never forget you.”

Sgt. First Class (res.) Cedrick Garin with his sister and mother in 2021. (Photo provided by the IDF)

Master Sgt. (res.) Elkana Vizel, 35, from Bnei Dekalim

Vizel, a squad commander, an elementary school teacher and an alumnus of the Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva, is survived by his wife Galit and their four children, as well as his parents and seven siblings. He insisted on returning to reserve duty after being injured during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

Master Sgt. (res.), Elkana Vizel (IDF)

At his wife’s request, Vizel wrote a letter before entering Gaza, and its content was published in the media on Tuesday.

“If you are reading these words, apparently something has happened to me. If I’ve been kidnapped, I demand that no deal be done to release any terrorist in order to free me. Our absolute victory is more important than anything,” he wrote.

“Maybe I fell in battle. When a soldier falls in battle it is sad. But I ask you to be happy. Don’t be sad when you say goodbye to me. Touch hearts, hold each other’s hands and strengthen one another. We have so much to be proud and happy for. We are writing the most significant moments in the history of our nation and of the entire world. So please, be happy, be optimistic, continue to choose life all the time. Spread love, light and optimism.”

Sgt. First Class (res.) Ahmad Abu Latif, 26, from Rahat

A beloved security guard at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, Abu Latif was a father to a one-year-old girl, and is also survived by his wife, parents and 11 siblings.

In October, he sought to convince the army to recruit him for reserve duty — after serving in the so-called Bedouin patrol unit, officially the Desert Patrol Unit — and published an impassioned post on the university’s Facebook page, saying he was “proud to be a Bedouin Israeli.”

“I’m happy when I have the chance to connect with people in our society and connect between cultures,” he wrote. “I’m happy that I can invite my friends to eat meat and maqluba in Rahat, and can be hosted in the backyard of people from Kibbutz Shoval who play the guitar and sing songs by [Israeli rocker] Yehudit Ravitz.”

Hamed, his uncle, said Ahmad was “a person who loves living and loves defending the country,” adding that even when he lived in Beersheba, he would make sure to visit his friends and family in Rahat every week.

Sgt. First Class (res.) Ahmad Abu Latif, who was killed in the central Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024. (Photo provided by the IDF)

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff, 33, from Pardes Hanna-Karkur

Mosheyoff, who is survived by his wife and a one-year-old boy, came to Israel from Colombia as a child. As a teenager, he was forced to help earn a living for his family, and he therefore finished 12 years of school without a Bagrut matriculation certificate. He nevertheless went on to study software engineering at the Braude College of Engineering in Karmiel, after graduating from its preparatory program with distinction.

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff (IDF)

He was working as a missile developer at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and was tutoring foster children.

His father-in-law, David Siyonov, told Hebrew media that he had spoken to Mosheyoff at 3 p.m. on Monday, roughly an hour before the deadly blast.

“He told me they were clearing the area. He said they weren’t willing to go home before they eliminate all the terrorists there,” he said. “At 2 a.m., my daughter called and broke the sad news to me. He was all about the Land of Israel and fighting.”

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Matan Lazar, 32, from Haifa

A nurse at the Carmel Medical Center, Lazar is the 11th alumnus of the Hebrew Reali School of Haifa to be killed since October 7.

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Matan Lazar (IDF)

His mother Yosefa said Tuesday that the family would help his widow Ilana and the couple’s two-year-old son, and pleaded for an end to divisions among Israelis.

“I ask everyone to be united and to stop with the nonsense so that his death won’t be in vain, because that would be a tremendous loss for the country,” she said, adding that Lazar joined the reserves as early as 10 a.m. on October 7, “and said it was an honor to serve the country.”

Soldiers killed in the central Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024: Top (L-R): Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mark Kononovich, Sgt. First Class (res.) Israel Socol, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Adam Bismut, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shay Biton Hayun, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Itamar Tal, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Kasau Zegeye, Sgt. First Class (res.) Cedrick Garin; middle: Sgt. First Class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Matan Lazar, Cpt. (res.) Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal, Master Sgt. (res.), Elkana Vizel, Cpt. (res.) Nir Binyamin, Sgt. First Class (res.) Sagi Idan, Sgt. First Class (res.) Ahmad Abu Latif; bottom: Sgt. Maj. (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff, Sgt. First Class (res.) Nicholas Berger, Master Sgt. (res.) Yoav Levi, Sgt. First Class (res.) Yuval Lopez, Sgt. First Class (res.) Elkana Yehuda Sfez, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Sergey Gontmaher, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid. (Israel Defense Forces, courtesy; combo image: Times of Israel)

Also killed in Monday’s tragic incident were:

  • Sgt. First Class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk, 23, a squad commander in the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Mevo Beitar.
  • Sgt. Maj. (res.) Sergey Gontmaher, 37, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Ramat Gan.
  • Sgt. First Class (res.) Elkana Yehuda Sfez, 25, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Kiryat Arba.
  • Sgt. First Class (res.) Yuval Lopez, 27, of the 205th Brigade’s 9206th Battalion, from Alon Shvut.
  • Master Sgt. (res.) Yoav Levi, 29, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Yehud-Monosson.
  • Sgt. First Class (res.) Nicholas Berger, 22, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Jerusalem.
  • Sgt. Maj. (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid, 33, a squad commander in the 261st Brigade’s 6261st Battalion, from Rishon Lezion.
  • Cpt. (res.) Nir Binyamin, 29, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Givatayim.
  • Sgt. First Class (res.) Israel Socol, 24, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Karnei Shomron.
  • Cpt. (res.) Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal, 28, of the 205th Brigade’s 9206th Battalion, from Elazar.
  • Sgt. First Class (res.) Sagi Idan, 24, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Rosh Haayin.
  • Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mark Kononovich, 35, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Herzliya.
  • Sgt. Maj. (res.) Itamar Tal, 32, of the 261st Brigade’s 6261st Battalion, from Mesilot.
  • Sgt. Maj. (res.) Adam Bismut, 35, a squad commander in the 261st Brigade’s 6261st Battalion, from Karnei Shomron.
  • Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shay Biton Hayun, 40, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Zichron Yaakov.
  • Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Kasau Zegeye, 38, of the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Yokne’am Illit.

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