Wolderaphael ‘Tiger’ Hagos, 40: Musical Eritrean asylum seeker

Wolderaphael “Tiger” Hagos Berhe, 40, an Eritrean asylum seeker, was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Sderot on October 7.

He was a musician who played the krar, a string instrument popular in Eritrea and Ethiopia, and he also worked odd jobs around the city. He is survived by his mother and his son, who live in Eritrea.

In videos posted on social media and YouTube, Tiger can be seen playing the krar and singing. In his own posts, he regularly wore a belt buckle with a flag of Eritrea, and expressed his love for his homeland.

According to the Jerusalem African Community Center, Tiger, as he was known by his friends, went out to hang out with his friends in the city and never made it home. He was considered missing for several months, until a long process to identify his remains by DNA was completed in December.

His body was finally sent back to Eritrea for burial on January 7.

His friend, Takele, told Haaretz that “we were together until a little before 6:30 a.m. There was a small party with friends at home,” he said. “When I got home, I heard sirens and gunshots. I saw dead people from my shelter and heard shouts of ‘Allahu Akbar.'”

Takele said he tried to track Tiger down and was told that when he’d left their gathering he had headed toward the police station, which was the site of a fierce battle between Hamas terrorists and Sderot police officers.

“When I didn’t get a hold of him over the phone, I understood.”

Read more Those We Have Lost stories here.