Father's tribute to fallen son: "Eliav said Shema Yisrael and smiled before dying in the helicopter"

Kobi, father of the late Sergeant Eliav Astuker, who fell on Saturday in northern Gaza, opened up about his son’s life and character in a heartfelt interview with Kan Reshet Bet.

"He's a kid who didn’t know how to say no. He was always like that, from elementary school through to the army. It was always about his friends, friends, friends. He loved his friends eternally. That’s who Eliav was," Kobi shared, his pain palpable.

Eliav enlisted shortly after the traumatic events of October 7, a year ago. "We were all shocked by what happened that Saturday. We didn’t leave the house for a month. Eliav prepared for his army service while still in school. He wanted to be a combat soldier. He went to the gym for two years before his draft and was overjoyed when he was accepted into the Nahal Corps," his father recounted.

Initially stationed in Rafah, Eliav recently moved to Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. "Until a month ago, he was serving in Rafah. He told me he was bored there. Then he moved to Beit Hanoun and said, ‘Dad, here we are working really hard,’ and he was happy about it," Kobi said.

The family had one last chance to see Eliav during a three-day leave before his transfer to northern Gaza. "His mother was scared. I talked to him, but he wouldn’t even consider leaving. He said, 'Dad, what about my friends? No way!’ He never said it was hard for him or bad for him. He did things modestly."

On Saturday, tragedy struck. Eliav was injured in an explosion in northern Gaza and succumbed to his wounds shortly after. Three other soldiers were killed in the same incident. Kobi described the events leading to his son’s death.

"At 10 a.m., they were on their way to the battalion commander’s post when they received an order to escort some officers. Eliav, being a Negevist, sat in the front. They drove over an explosive device that was activated remotely.

"My son and two other soldiers from the Nahal Corps went to investigate. Because there had been a small explosion before, they thought it was a bullet discharge. As soon as they got out, the terrorists detonated additional charges. There was a half-hour combat, after which they were evacuated.

"The platoon commander told me that my son said 'Shema Yisrael,' closed his eyes, smiled, and died in the helicopter."