Sergei Shmerkin, 32, from Kiryat Shmona, a soldier in the 697th Battalion, 551st Brigade (Half Fire Formation), fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip. Sergei served in the Givati Platoon in the regular army and continued to serve there in the reserves. He worked as a real estate broker in Kiryat Shmona and is survived by a brother, and parents and Tislav and Tatiana.
A post by Sergey at the end of October,
"He mobilized himself as soon as the incident started," said his good friend Muriel Peretz. "He didn't wait to be called. He immediately went south at 11 a.m. on Saturday. We still managed to talk after he was drafted, he came home for a few hours and we met."
In a post last month after the war began, Sergei wrote, "Proud to be a part, the people of Israel live."
Sergei Shmerkin's last message to his classmates before entering Gaza, photo: uncredited
Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern on the death of soldier Sergei Shmerkin: "We received the devastating news of Sergei's death on Friday evening and representatives of the municipality visited the family's home to support the parents at this unbearable moment. Sergei was a warrior of the soul and loved Kiryat Shmona and the State of Israel very much. It hurts my heart to say goodbye to an ambitious young man full of dreams that he will not live to realize. We embrace the family in their difficult hour."
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