In the video: Lt. Col. Salman Habka, who was killed in the fighting in Gaza, talks about the battle at Kibbutz Be'eri/from the Education and Youth Corps' Instagram page
Lieutenant Colonel Salman Habka, commander of the 53rd Battalion of the 188th Armored Brigade, fell in battle in Gaza, according to a report released Thursday. The IDF Spokesperson's Office permitted publication that four other fighters were seriously wounded: a reserve officer from the 679th Brigade, an officer from the Givati Brigade and a soldier from the 614th Battalion at the School of Combat Engineering were wounded during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, while a female fighter from the Caracal Battalion was wounded in operational activity in the area of the Faran Brigade.
"With great sorrow and endless pain, Yanoh is losing another senior IDF commander in the accursed 'iron swords' war that was forced on all of us in Israel," said Modi Saad, head of the local council. "He is a hero of Israel and a war of 'iron swords,'" added Saad, who was also a personal friend of his, "The entire nation of Israel knew Salman, who galloped on his tank together with his commanders and soldiers from Tzalim to the surrounding communities, in order to fight the accursed terrorists and save the lives of all the residents who were under fire from ISIS and Hamas."
Habqa is the second senior officer from the small village to be killed in the war, after 40-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Alim Sa'ad, who was killed in an attack on terrorists who crossed the fence near Arab al-Aramshe on the Lebanese border. The date of Habeka's funeral has not yet been announced.
The 27th Day of the War - All Updates
Lt. Col. Salman Habka z"l - commander of Battalion 53 of the 188th Brigade killed in battle in Gaza / IDF Spokesperson
Saad added about Habka's character: "He was an amazing man, independent in thought and original, who paved the way. His path has become a guiding light for many. He was a courageous leader who was always an example to everyone. This was also the case on October 7, when he took his tank and galloped to Kibbutz Be'eri. From our village, they went down there to treat his soldiers to the fire. Last Saturday I was still talking to him and he talked about the high morale. Unfortunately, that was our last conversation."
Habka is survived by his parents, his wife Erin, a local council employee who returned to graduate school for a master's degree in academia, and his son Imad. "We still don't know the circumstances. They know that war," said his stunned associates in the hometown of the man who became famous as a national hero when he arrived at Kibbutz Be'eri with his tank.
More in Walla!
The advanced technology that improves acne needles: check compatibility now!
In collaboration with Rivka Zaida Laboratories
Lt. Col. Salman Habka z"l - commander of Battalion 53 of the 188th Brigade killed in battle in Gaza / IDF Spokesperson
"Our main mission was to save residents' lives," the battalion commander told Walla! Amir Bohbot after the incident. "When I fired the first shell, it sent a message to everyone: 'We've arrived! We're here!' Every infantry fighter feels much safer when there's a tank next to him. Only in retrospect did I realize I was firing a shell inside an Israeli community."
The tanks of the 53rd Battalion under his command were ordered to break into the streets while shredding the terrorists' vehicles.
"My goal was to kill as many terrorists as possible. I personally fired 12 shells at terrorists," he said, "My fighters joined forces with fighters in the various sectors and mopped up houses. They rescued the prisoners from their homes and eliminated the terrorists. In Sderot, my company commander fired at terrorists. These are cowardly wrongdoers who took advantage of the holiday. They murdered, slaughtered and kidnapped elderly children and babies. It burned into my brain. My heroic fighters fired 250 shells at terrorists in order to save the lives of civilians in the communities."
- More on the subject:
- Iron Sword War
- Gaza War
- IDF fallen soldiers
- Gaza Strip