A Chilling 2023 Photo Captures the Tragic Fate of Three Armored Soldiers
A chilling photograph of three Israeli armored soldiers from 2023 highlights the heavy toll of the Iron Swords War, as two have fallen in Gaza.
On the eve of Yom Kippur 2023, less than two weeks before the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, three armored soldiers from the 401st "Iron Tracks" Brigade stood at military cemeteries to honor fallen soldiers of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. A chilling photograph captured them saluting the marble graves, unaware of the grim fate awaiting them.
Out of the three soldiers in the frame, Staff Sergeant Itay Sadon, a 21-year-old tank commander from Har Halutz, fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip in November 2023. Nearly a year later, in October 2024, his comrade from the photo, Staff Sergeant Ofir Berkovitch, a 20-year-old armored soldier from Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, was also killed in the same combat zone. The third soldier, Gabriel, remains the sole survivor.
"My memory of that day is very blurred," Gabriel said in a special interview. "In hindsight, I realize how chilling this photo is, as I am the only one left from it. The bitter news about Itay's fall during the first weeks of the ground invasion was unimaginable. When Ofir fell almost a year later, the pain became even heavier."
Ofir Berkovitch's parents were exposed to the haunting photograph only during the shiva mourning period. His father, Baruch, recalled the day he took Ofir to the cemetery, noting that his son felt deeply honored by the mission. His mother, Simona, shared the profound sorrow of looking at the image: "At first, I couldn't bear to look at it. We try to hold on to life, and this photo is yet another tangible confirmation that our child is gone. This connection between past, present, and future reflects our fate."
In the Sadon family home, the photograph evokes an equally deep emotional resonance. Liat, Itay's mother, recalled receiving a photo of her son standing alone by a grave that same day. "Today, being on the other side, I understand the deep significance of this action," she said. Liat expressed deep affection for Gabriel, the surviving soldier, while reflecting on Israeli society: "At the military level, we are deeply embraced, but in broader society, I sometimes feel a decline in attention toward bereavement as people seek to return to routine."
