Fallen soldier Asaf Zamir laid to rest: "I hope he will be the last casualty"

Sergeant Asaf Zamir, 19, who was killed last Friday in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, will be buried today at Mount Herzl Cemetery. Zamir, from Dimona, served in Battalion 53 of the ‘Barak’ Formation (188), is the 883rd soldier to fall in the ongoing Iron Swords conflict.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that several terrorists involved in planting the explosive device that killed Zamir were subsequently eliminated. The attack also left four IDF soldiers seriously and moderately wounded. Initially thought to be caused by anti-tank fire, investigations revealed that the explosion came from an improvised device placed near Zamir’s tank. The circumstances of the incident remain under investigation.

Speaking on Kan Reshet Bet’s Kalman and Lieberman program, Zamir’s father Yarden shared the family’s grief. He recalled receiving the devastating news while on vacation in Thailand—a place Asaf loved deeply. “Time stopped for me when we heard. Within 24 hours, we were back home,” he said.

Yarden described his son as quiet and introspective, but proud to serve in the army. “He had just finished his advanced training and enlisted in the armored corps eight months earlier, following in his grandfather’s footsteps. He wanted to attend a commanders’ course, but he said, ‘Dad, there are hostages in Gaza. Should I go be a commander or help save them?’”

Despite his reserved nature, Zamir returned from army service radiant and surrounded by friends, his father said. He also spoke fondly of Asaf’s love for music. “He sent me a list of records to bring him,” Yarden recalled, his voice breaking. “I hope he will be the last fallen in this war, that he will be a symbol for ending this suffering. I’m grateful for the privilege of being his father. These were the 19 most beautiful years of my life.”

Last Friday, Sergeant Yair Eliyahu, a 19-year-old combat engineer from Ezer, was also laid to rest following a fatal accident between engineering vehicles in Gaza. His father, Yaniv, remembered him with pride: “I always wondered if I was a good enough father. The appreciation I saw in your eyes was my greatest pride.”