{"id":468925,"date":"2026-05-31T08:57:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T08:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/468925\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T08:57:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T08:57:17","slug":"we-thought-the-worst-had-passed-13-killed-since-lebanon-ceasefire-began","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/468925\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We thought the worst had passed’: 13 killed since Lebanon ceasefire began"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Saturday, the terror group expanded its rocket fire, triggering sirens in Safed, Nahariya and Karmiel after a direct hit on a commercial center in Kiryat Shmona. On Sunday morning, the IDF cleared for publication that Givati Reconnaissance Unit soldier Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin had been killed in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

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\"13<\/a>\"13<\/p>\n

Twelve soldiers and one civilian have been killed during the \u201cceasefire,\u201d including inside Israeli territory. These are their stories.<\/p>\n

About half an hour after the IDF announced it had captured Beaufort Castle<\/a>, the military said Sunday morning that Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin<\/a>, 21, a Givati Reconnaissance Unit soldier from Ashkelon, was killed by an explosive drone the previous day in southern Lebanon. Four other soldiers were lightly wounded in the incident.<\/p>\n

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\"Staff<\/a>\"Staff<\/p>\n

Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF)<\/p>\n

Tyukin is the 13th person killed since the ceasefire took effect. He was an only child to his mother, and the two immigrated to Israel from Ukraine in 2020.<\/p>\n

The drone was launched by Hezbollah at around 10:30 p.m. and struck a position near the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, where troops were operating as part of the effort to seize commanding areas north of the Litani River.<\/p>\n

In a heartbreaking comment on the announcement of his death, Hilit Yanai, whose daughter Rotem was killed last week, wrote: \u201cHero of Israel. My daughter, Rotem Yanai, will surely receive him with open arms and love up above. May their memory be blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sgt. Rotem Yanai<\/a>, a welfare NCO in the Givati Brigade\u2019s Rotem Battalion, was killed Wednesday by an explosive drone on the northern border, inside Israeli territory. Yanai, from Givat Ada, was the 12th person killed since the so-called ceasefire in southern Lebanon and the 24th fallen soldier since Operation Roaring Lion began.<\/p>\n

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Sgt. Rotem Yanai <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF)<\/p>\n

She studied theater at Kramim High School and was active in the Scouts movement\u2019s Gefen troop. The Yanai family believed the worst had already happened to them when Rotem\u2019s brother, Dor, was wounded on October 7 while fighting alongside his comrades to defend the Yiftah post near Zikim.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought that was the \u2018test\u2019 we had been given,\u201d her aunt Reut Schwarzman said in pain. Her aunt, Meital Ansbacher, added: \u201cWe thought the worst had already happened, and yesterday the worst of all happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sgt. Nehoray Leizer<\/a>, 19, from Eilat, a Combat Engineering Corps soldier, was killed a week ago by an explosive drone launched at troops operating in southern Lebanon, a threat for which the IDF has not yet found a solution.<\/p>\n

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Sgt. Nehoray Leizer <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF)<\/p>\n

Hezbollah terrorists launched the drone at around 4 p.m. toward an area in the village of Debel where troops from the 401st Brigade were stationed. The drone struck the Namer engineering vehicle in which the force was traveling.<\/p>\n

His sister Mai said Nehoray chose to enter the combat zone even though he had a knee injury. \u201cHe could have stayed at the base and rested and not gone inside, but he said there was no such thing as his friends being inside while he was outside,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

His mother, Rotem, said at his funeral: \u201cThis is against the laws of nature, a 19-year-old child whose mother has to bury him. I sent you healthy and whole, and they brought you back in a coffin. I knew something was going to happen to you. I knew. You knew too. Why did you go in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Two days earlier, Staff Sergeant Noam Hamburger<\/a>, 23, from Atlit, a technology and maintenance soldier in the 9th Battalion, was killed by an explosive drone at the IDF\u2019s Biranit post near the Lebanon border, about a month before his release from the army.<\/p>\n

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Staff Sergeant Noam Hamburger <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF)<\/p>\n

His mother, Liat Hamburger, said he had \u201cbig dreams\u201d and was an entrepreneur at heart. \u201cThe absurd thing is that he wanted to go into the drone field. It is impossible to believe the drone got him first,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said Noam had supported his sister during her cancer treatment and always insisted on serving where he was needed. \u201cHe could have chosen otherwise, to be in a less dangerous place,\u201d she said. \u201cBut he told me, \u2018Mom, the soldiers there are fighting, and when the tank stops working, everything stops. That is my job, to fix the tank, to let them defend. It is a huge role.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Maj. (res.) Itamar Sapir<\/a>, 27, from Ariel, was killed in an encounter with a Hezbollah terrorist in southern Lebanon. He is survived by his wife, Roi, their 18-month-old son Ma\u2019ayan Yiftach, his parents and siblings.<\/p>\n

The incident occurred when troops were operating in the village of Qawzah, north of Ayta ash-Shab, inside the yellow-line area. The force was operating outside a church when the terrorist opened fire at them from inside the building.<\/p>\n

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His widow, Roi, eulogized him: \u201cMy man, my love, what can I even say? I used to consult you about everything, and now I need to consult you: come home. I called you after they told me you were dead, and I did not believe it. Something in me died with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also spoke of their son, named after Sapir\u2019s friend from the Maglan unit, Capt. Yiftach Yaavetz, who was killed on October 7. \u201cMa\u2019ayani needs you now, tomorrow, in another decade, in another 20 years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Exactly one month ago, Warrant Officer (res.) Barak Kalfon<\/a>, 48, from the community of Adi in the Jezreel Valley, was killed in an incident in which reserve paratroopers were hit by an explosive device.<\/p>\n

Kalfon is survived by his wife, Shamrit, and two daughters \u2014 Noga, 19, who is in a year of national service, and Mia, 17, an 11th-grade student.<\/p>\n

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Warrant Officer (res.) Barak Kalfon<\/p>\n

A month after the family\u2019s devastating loss, his mother, Sheri, said: \u201cMy husband Meir and I went to see his grave ahead of the memorial ceremony marking one month since he fell. Today we will hold a memorial ceremony for our beloved Barak with family and friends, and it still feels impossible to grasp. Barak was killed on the first day of the ceasefire, and now a month has passed since the terrible disaster that struck us. It is impossible to believe he is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was always the one who cared for everyone,\u201d she added. \u201cA big man with a smile, someone everyone relied on \u2014 at work, in the special field where he worked at Rafael, and in the army, where he was loved so much. We have heard so many stories about him over the past month. We still cannot process it. My husband, his two brothers and, of course, his wife Shamrit and his daughters, who were so close to him \u2014 this is a huge loss. Is this a ceasefire? We in the north are under fire all the time. Look at the residents of the north along the confrontation line \u2014 constantly under sirens and fire. How can anyone even declare another 45-day ceasefire now? Does that make sense to anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sgt. First Class (res.) Lidor Porat<\/a>, 31, was killed a month ago by an explosive device that also wounded nine others. Porat, a soldier in Battalion 7106 of the 769th Regional Brigade, is survived by his father, Avraham, his older brother Naor and his twin sister Inbal. His family marked 30 days since his death on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Porat was born and raised in Ashdod\u2019s District D and studied at the Bnei Akiva Neve Herzog yeshiva. He was an outstanding student and took an advanced physics program. After high school, he continued to a higher yeshiva in Beit El and later enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade.<\/p>\n

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Sgt. First Class (res.) Lidor Porat <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF)<\/p>\n

After his military service, he began studying electrical engineering at Ben-Gurion University. When his mother became seriously ill, he paused his studies to care for her until she died, then returned to complete his degree.<\/p>\n

His close friend, Yagel Maimon, said: \u201cAfter his mother died, it shook him deeply and he needed a lot of time to think. We traveled together in Vietnam. With all his righteousness, wisdom and seriousness, he also knew how to let go and enjoy life.<\/p>\n

\u201cOctober 7 caught us in a pastoral village. Suddenly I saw Lidor turn red and start shaking. He said his sister was in Sderot and he did not know what was happening. After a while, he managed to reach her and understood that his family was safe. He told me, \u2018Come on, we\u2019re going back to Israel.\u2019 I told him, \u2018Calm down, everything is OK, your family is safe.\u2019 But he was determined to find a flight home, and within three days we were on one. The next day he had already reported for reserve duty. He even went without a bag and asked me to arrange underwear and clothes for him. He was an amazing friend. He loved the people of Israel, and we will not forget him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sgt. Idan Fooks<\/a>, 19, was killed by an explosive drone near the village of Taybeh in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n

His mother, Meital Fooks, said through her pain: \u201cYou need to look at pictures of Idan and see from his eyes and his light who he was. So much kindness and desire to do good. We knew what kind of child we had, but we did not know just how much \u2014 and we heard amazing stories about him during the shiva. People came here who had been bullied as children, and Idan had helped them. In gym class, for example, he would take the child no one wanted when teams were picked.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Speaking about the family\u2019s loss, she said: \u201cIt is not easy. Idan was my heart and all of our hearts. There is no way to deal with this. We are surrounded by many angels he sent us \u2014 the wonderful people of Israel who lift us up. Every morning I look at his last picture and tell myself, \u2018How can I fall?\u2019 Yes, I cry, but I tell his story and hope every person will do one good deed in his memory. That gives us the strength to feel he is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not feel there was a ceasefire,\u201d she added. \u201cThey were inside and fighting. Every morning I woke up to a message that they were going out on an operation, and every evening to a message that everything was OK. What ceasefire? Our children are fighting. The fact that this is being silenced is incomprehensible to me. Our children are inside, and suddenly I received a message that I no longer have a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amer Hujeirat<\/a>, a resident of Shefa-Amr who worked for a contracting company carrying out engineering work for the Defense Ministry, was killed by an explosive drone. His 19-year-old son was lightly wounded by shrapnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very hard to see your father killed before your eyes. It shook me,\u201d his son said. \u201cWe reached the border and entered the area to work. We handed our phones over to the IDF and were supposed to receive radios so we could stay in constant contact with the army, but we were told there was no need and that a tank would escort us closely and protect us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe tank did escort us, but after five minutes it turned around and moved away. We continued working, and an hour and a half later it was no longer around us. We saw it far away, behind a house. We were alone. I climbed onto the engineering vehicle and suddenly saw a small, fast drone behind the excavator. It was flying low and focusing its camera on us. I got scared and jumped off the vehicle immediately. It came to attack me. I ran, and my father ran, but the drone chased him and the explosive charge hit him and detonated. When we entered, they promised us the tank would stay to secure us \u2014 not that it would leave and hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sgt. Liem Ben Hamo<\/a>, 19, from Herzliya, a soldier in the Golani Brigade\u2019s 13th Battalion, was killed by an explosive drone near the village of Qantara in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n

His mother, Galit, said: \u201cHe was a special child. A good student. I was afraid for him. I no longer have parents or siblings. I tried to lower his profile, but he wanted to be in Golani, in Golani\u2019s 13th Battalion, and that is what he got.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sgt. Liem Ben Hamo <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF)<\/p>\n

His uncle, Shlomi, added: \u201cIt is hard for me to speak about him in the past tense. Liem was an outstanding student, a young man with values and a sense of humor. Liem volunteered to serve in Golani. He followed my son, who also served in Golani. This is a terrible disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staff Sgt. Negev Dagan<\/a>, 20, from Moshav Dekel in the northwestern Negev, a soldier in the Golani Brigade\u2019s 12th Battalion, was killed by a mortar shell fired at troops in the Litani area.<\/p>\n

His friend Matan Peretz said: \u201cI knew Negev from age zero. I was with him everywhere \u2014 even this past weekend, before it happened. Negev was a good friend, a good kid, someone you cannot really describe in words. He wanted to fulfill so many dreams, and in one moment it ended.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Staff Sgt. Negev Dagan <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF)<\/p>\n

\u201cNegev had been in places, and suddenly this happened. We were in shock,\u201d Matan added. \u201cHe used to come here and say it was not scary and that \u2018we are going in all the way.\u2019 But this past weekend, he said this entry was going to be frightening.\u201d<\/p>\n

His widow, Marina, spoke about coping with the loss. \u201cIt has been a week since I have been living alone, and it is hard. Luckily there are many friends and neighbors here helping me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI manage all the technical things, but the joy has disappeared from my life, and it is very hard when raising a young girl,\u201d she added. \u201cI think there is no ceasefire. For me, here in the center, we do not see what is happening on the Lebanon border, and it is hard for us to understand what is happening there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Master Sgt. (res.) Alexander Glovanyov<\/p>\n

His mother, Polina, said in pain: \u201cAlexander was a very good person. He was my only son. I have no one now. He had good hands. He was an athlete. We came to Israel in 1996. They told us it happened at the border, that he was at the base. We spoke the day before yesterday for the last time. I was afraid. I was in touch with him, and he said everything was OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Capt. Maoz Israel Recanati<\/a>, a platoon commander in the Golani Brigade\u2019s 12th Battalion, fell in battle in southern Lebanon. He was 24. Recanati was killed by an explosive drone launched at troops last Friday.<\/p>\n

Recanati was a graduate of the sixth-year program at the Itamar higher yeshiva. He is survived by his parents, six siblings and his fianc\u00e9e, Roni, whom he was supposed to marry next month.<\/p>\n

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Capt. Maoz Israel Recanati <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF)<\/p>\n

Rabbi Daniel Luntzer, the rabbi of Itamar, eulogized him at the funeral: \u201cThe entire nation accompanies you to burial. Exactly one week before you ascended heavenward in battle, last Friday, you were at my home with Roni, your fianc\u00e9e. You registered for marriage, and you went up among the holy and pure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roni said goodbye to him at the funeral.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time we met, the first thing I noticed was your kind and beautiful eyes. I fell into them again and again. Everyone said you had kind eyes,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce you asked if I was angry, and I said I could not be angry at you. Maoz, everyone who met you for the first time was moved by your quietness, which said so much about you. I wanted you to come to my bridal chair and smile at me. I wanted you to be a father. You could have been the perfect father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you so much,\u201d she added. \u201cI am sorry if I did anything wrong. I am sorry. My whole body hurts. We are strong and we will continue to live \u2014 we will love the people the way you would have wanted. Rest in peace. You need to rest. You worked so hard. Let yourself rest. I love you very much and miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Saturday, the terror group expanded its rocket fire, triggering sirens in Safed, Nahariya and Karmiel after a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-468925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}