Asaf Hamami ( he, אסף חממי. December 2, 1982 – October 7, 2023) was an IDF officer with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, serving as the commander of the Southern Brigade in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. Prior to that, he served as the commander of the

Negev Brigade The 12th Negev Brigade ( he, חטיבת הנגב, ''Hativat HaNegev'') is an Israeli reserve infantry brigade under the Sinai Division, that originally served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. History Founding and organization The brigade was fou ...

, commander of the Oz Brigade training school, and commander of the Tzabar Battalion. On October 7, 2023, during the battles of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, he was killed defending Kibbutz Nirim. His body was taken to Gaza by Hamas. Along with

Roi Levy Roi Yosef Levy (; 29 May 1979 – 7 October 2023) was an officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with the rank of colonel who served in his last position as commander of the Multidimensional Unit. He had previously served as commander of ...

Yonatan Steinberg Yonatan Steinberg (; 1980 – 7 October 2023) was an officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with the rank of colonel, who served as the commander of the 933rd "Nahal" Brigade. He had previously served as the commander of the Center for Ta ...

and Yitzhak Ben-Bashat, they are the most senior officers killed in the IDF in this war.

Biography

Hamami enlisted in the IDF in 2001, was placed in the

Givati Brigade The 84th "Givati" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גִּבְעָתִי, , "Hill Brigade" or "Highland Brigade") is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Until 2005, the Brigade used to be stationed within the Gaza Strip and primarily perf ...

and accepted into the Givati Reconnaissance Battalion. He underwent training as a fighter, an infantry commanders' course, and an infantry officers' course. Upon completing the course, he returned to the Reconnaissance Battalion and was appointed a team commander. Later, he served as the commander of the training company in the Givati Brigade. He was then appointed the commander of the support company in the Rotem Battalion. In April 2010, he received the Chief of Staff's Citation from Gabi Ashkenazi. He later served in command positions in the Maglan Unit. In 2012, he was appointed the commander of the Rimon Unit, and served in this position until 2013. He was then appointed the deputy commander of the Shaked Battalion. In 2015, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and appointed the deputy commander of the Northern Brigade in the Gaza Strip, serving in this position until 2016. On September 30, 2016, he was appointed the commander of the Tzabar Battalion, a position he held until August 27, 2018. He established the Oz Battalion and commanded it from 2018 to 2020. In July 2020, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and appointed the commander of the Negev Brigade, serving in this position until May 9, 2022. On May 29, 2022, he was appointed the commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Strip. On October 7, 2023, he was killed during the battles in a surprise attack on Israel, defending

Kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

Nirim. His body was kidnapped to Gaza by the Hamas organization. A funeral proceeding for Hamami was performed without his body. The funeral was attended by thousands, including senior military officers and the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. Chamami's 6-year-old son, who was present during the attack, was hidden by Chamami's soldiers in one of the rooms at the base along with his father. Only about 10 hours after the attack began was the child taken from the base and returned to his mother.

Personal life

Hamami was married and a father of three. He held a Bachelor's and master's degree in Political Science and Security from the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...

. He lived in Kiryat Ono.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamami, Asaf 1982 births 2023 deaths Israeli soldiers Israeli military personnel killed in the Israel–Hamas war Military personnel missing in action Israeli people taken hostage Israeli officers

Biography

Personal life

See also

References