How fallen commando Liav Aloush inspires the next generation of fighters

In the crisp air of a Gedera morning last Friday, the local football field thrummed with the energy of youth—hundreds of teens straining against ropes, racing with stretchers, and crawling through mud. They weren’t just competing; they were honoring a memory. The Liav Aloush Memorial Combat Fitness Championship unfolded as a tribute to a fallen hero of Israel’s elite Duvdevan unit. This is his story.

Liav Aloush, a 21-year-old staff sergeant in Duvdevan’s Team 100, fell on December 17, 2023, in Khan Younis, Gaza, when a powerful explosive tore through his operation, claiming his life alongside two fellow soldiers. In the pocket of his combat uniform, his family later found a notebook, its pages marked with a single, starred sentence in his neat script: “A warrior stands tall even when he can no longer stand.” What began as a personal mantra has blossomed into a legacy, one that pulsed through the Gedera event with every shout of encouragement and every exhausted step forward.

The championship drew combat fitness groups from across the region, joined by Liav’s comrades from Team 100—men who had fought beside him in Gaza’s brutal battles. Together, they faced a course designed to test not just muscle but mettle: rope climbs, wall crossings, shooting under pressure, and the mental resolve to push on when strength fades. For Kobi Aloush, Liav’s father and a retired Yamam fighter with 25 years in the elite counter-terror unit, it was a moment of fulfillment. “Standing here, this is exactly Liav,” he said, his voice thick with pride as he moved among the competitors. “This is his legacy.”

Kobi’s eyes saw his son in every determined face. “All the kids here are my kids,” he told them. “I see Liav in you.” When a teen faltered, Kobi’s call rang out: “The most important thing is togetherness!”—and the words lifted them, urging them past the obstacles. It was a scene Mali Alush, Liav’s mother and a reserve major who once served as a Golani Brigade casualty officer, had long envisioned. “Two years before Liav fell, Kobi dreamed of starting a combat fitness group in Gedera,” she said. “After his death, it became clear it would happen—and it would carry his name: ‘Team Alush.’”

That team now numbers over 100 11th and 12th graders from Gedera, training not just their bodies but their spirits for military service, guided by Liav’s values and the full support of local council head Sahar Pinto. Mali recalled the moment she found Liav’s notebooks among his returned belongings. “When I read, ‘A warrior stands tall even when he can no longer stand,’ I wasn’t surprised,” she said. “I thought, ‘That’s Liav.’ It’s about determination, the warrior he was, the person who never gave up. He left it for us—his family—as a testament to keep going, to contribute, to not break.”

For Mali, Kobi, and Liav’s younger sister Amit, those words are a lifeline. “He gave us a motto for life,” they said, “one that helps us face this tragedy. We don’t crumble; we stand tall and move forward.” At schools, Mali shares it with children: “Stand tall even when it’s hard, even after failing a test. It’s okay—you can always fix it. That sentence is a world.”

Liav’s story is woven with courage and loss. On October 7, 2023, he cut short a vacation in Eilat to join Team 100 in repelling Hamas’s invasion of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, treating the wounded as comrade Omri Michaeli fell in the opening minutes. Weeks later, in Gaza, he crossed paths with Kobi—called up under emergency orders—capturing a fleeting photo together, now a treasured relic of their last moment in the chaos of war. His final battle came in Khan Younis, where an explosion ended his fight, leaving behind grief and a quiet resolve.

At the championship, that resolve shone. “The energy here is unreal,” said Ohad Valfish, Liav’s Duvdevan brother. “He was an amazing friend—always on the edge, funny, a prankster, yet the best, most serious fighter. He walked that line between grit and grace.” Ella Niv, an 11th-grader in Team Alush, beamed with pride: “Through this, I’ve learned Liav’s values. I’m aiming for the Navy’s combat course.”

Amit spoke to the crowd, her voice steady: “The goal isn’t first place—it’s being one team, one family. Liav taught me love, giving, friendship, and never giving up, no matter the cost.” As medals adorned every competitor, Kobi’s closing words pierced the air: “If Liav were here, he’d tear up this course and push you forward. Stay determined and stand tall in life itself.”

In Gedera, under a sky that held both sorrow and hope, Liav Alush’s words stood taller than ever—a warrior’s echo guiding a community forward, together.

Israel Hayom contributed to this article.