"A legend from the generation of giants of the IDF, you will be greatly missed": Brig. Gen. Tzurie Sagi laid to rest

At the cemetery in Tel Mond in the Sharon region, Brigadier General Tzurie Sagi was laid to rest today (Thursday). Sagi, nicknamed by his friends "Shenkin," passed away yesterday at the age of 92. He was one of the veterans of the corps and was known primarily for his covert activity as the military advisor to the Kurdish rebels in Iraq.

During an extensive military career of more than three decades, he filled a series of roles: from the reprisal operations of the 1950s, through the Sinai Campaign, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War, to secret missions in Ethiopia, Iran, and Kurdistan. He left behind his wife, Tzipa, and his son, Yair.

Among the hundreds of attendees who came to pay their respects were former Chief of Staff Moshe (Boogie) Ya'alon, Major Generals (res.) Tal Russo, Uri Sagi, Yitzhak Mordechai, Yoram Yair, Amos Yaron, and Matan Vilnai, former Police Commissioner Asaf Hefetz, Varda Pomerantz who was the head of the families department in the Hostages Directorate, Omri Sharon, Chilik Magnus, and members of the Paratroopers Brigade through the generations.

Tzipa, Sagi's widow, addressed the hundreds present at the funeral and said: "Tzurie loved you in his own way and loved the country very much. Thank you very much, Tzurie, for everything." His son, the photographer Yair Sagi, eulogized him in tears: "My father had many good friends, he always told me: be with friends, always help everyone. This was very important to my father. He loved people, loved the land, and was a hardworking man." His grandchildren Zohar and Dror shared: "The best and bravest grandfather, a walking history book, my greatest pride. He was not afraid of anything except Grandma, and they both taught me what love is."

Brig. Gen. Sagi's friends describe him as a "brilliant and daring officer who took on every mission and always helped everyone." One of his close friends who eulogized him is Major General (res.) Amos Yaron:

"On the way here, the song 'Tree in the Field' by Shalom Hanoch was playing, 'Man is like a tree in the field, like a tree, man grows.' Tzurie was truly like a tree in the field - a legend from the generation of giants of the IDF. To speak of him is to speak of a generation that is fading away. He was a brave warrior, he always showed courage towards his friends and commanders, he was the one who rescued Raful from the battlefield. He was an exceptional friend, loyal, and never got angry. I have known him for almost 70 years. We both live in the Paratroopers housing, I will miss you very much with your wisdom and intelligence."

Sagi was born in Herzliya and grew up in Moshav Ein Vered. His three-decade military path began with his enlistment in the IDF in 1952, when he joined Unit 101 and Battalion 890. In that period, commanders were tested in reconnaissance missions across the border. Sagi, then a sergeant and platoon commander, demonstrated daring and an innovative reconnaissance concept. Later, he went to an officers' course and participated in a series of reprisal operations. In the Sinai Campaign, he commanded Company G in the battalion and participated in the Battle of the Mitla, one of the battles most identified with the Paratroopers Brigade in that war.

In the years 1959-1960, Sagi was the commander of the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit, and later filled a series of roles in the brigade, including intelligence officer. He went on a mission to Ethiopia, where he participated in training local army officers, and after returning to Israel, he continued to advance in the ranks of the paratroopers and was even appointed deputy commander of the Paratrooper Nahal. In the years 1963-1965, he commanded Battalion 890, after having previously served in it as a fighter and commander. At the beginning of the 60s, he was also sent to Iran, which was then a close ally of Israel under the Shah's rule, and assisted in organizing the defense of oil facilities in the Persian Gulf.

In the Six-Day War, Sagi was part of the airborne force intended to capture Sharm el-Sheikh, which eventually fell without a significant battle. After the war, he served as deputy commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, participated in the Battle of Karameh, and later served as the Operations Officer (AGAM) of the Central Command.

Alongside being one of the symbols of the Paratroopers Brigade, a central component of his public persona was formed precisely overseas. Sagi was sent to Iraqi Kurdistan as part of the secret Israeli aid to the Kurdish rebels led by Mustafa Barzani, who were struggling against the central government in Baghdad. Sagi's experience began with instructing special military courses for Kurdish officers and fighters and continued in the role of head of Israel's military delegation in Kurdistan in 1966. In the eyes of the Kurds, Sagi was considered nothing less than a legend. He served as a military advisor on behalf of the IDF to the forces of the Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani, who treated Sagi as a brother. He quickly became a revered figure as he identified the problems in Kurdish fighting methods and adapted for them an advanced military defense and attack concept, which also earned him warm and close relations.

After 32 years of service, Sagi was discharged in 1984 and returned to the fields of his agricultural farm in Kfar Hess, the moshav where he lived since he married his wife Tzipa. For Sagi, agricultural work was much more than a livelihood, it was a way of life. Working the land was for him a substitute for physical activity and constituted a value-based environment. Sagi maintained a strong connection with his friends from the service and was a central figure in the group known as the "Ainde group," whose members used to meet every month and sing songs of the homeland and the Land of Israel.