Bodycam Footage Reveals Final Hours of Fallen Egoz Hero Yosef Malachi Gedaliah
A newly released bodycam video reveals the extraordinary heroism of Staff Sgt. Yosef Malachi Gedaliah, an Egoz soldier who spent hours rescuing wounded civilians and fighting terrorists in Kfar Aza on October 7 before falling in combat.
A rare bodycam video has shed light on the final moments of Staff Sgt. Yosef Malachi Gedaliah, who fell in battle in Kfar Aza during the October 7, 2023 onslaught. Gedaliah, a 22-year-old Egoz reconnaissance unit soldier, spent hours evacuating the wounded and fighting terrorists before being killed.
The footage, captured by a policeman's bodycam, shows Gedaliah and his comrade, Staff Sgt. Oren Yosef Ran, arriving in a military vehicle to rescue a civilian who had been lying wounded and bleeding for two hours. For three hours, Gedaliah continuously entered and exited the embattled kibbutz to save lives.
The Final Battle at Kfar Aza
On the morning of Simchat Torah, Gedaliah was at home in Beit Shemesh when reports of a massive security incident in the south began to emerge. Though scheduled for a targeted operation later that day, he put on his uniform, received a quick blessing from his mother Dina, and rushed south to Kfar Aza without waiting for orders.
Inside the kibbutz, Gedaliah joined other Egoz fighters. During the clashes, his drone—used to provide crucial situational awareness—was downed by friendly forces. He quickly radioed a warning to prevent further friendly fire incidents, a procedural update that later saved him from immediate abduction. Later, while advancing into the youth neighborhood near the kibbutz gate where numerous hostages were being seized, his vehicle was struck by an RPG fired at close range.
"Yosef and his friends entered the youth neighborhood in a jeep. Yosef stood in the back bench, his weapon threaded through a firing slit, shooting at terrorists. Suddenly they saw a deserted RPG launcher and decided to take it. In practice, an ambush was laid for them, an RPG shell was fired at close range, and the vehicle began to burn from the inside," his mother recalled.
Preventing Abduction
Gedaliah and his comrades jumped from the burning vehicle. Having left his rifle jammed in the firing slit, Gedaliah was left with only his pistol. According to testimony from a soldier whose life was saved by Gedaliah's final charge, the young soldier rushed the terrorists at the gate, eliminating several before being fatally struck by heavy gunfire from a hidden group of roughly twenty terrorists.
When a drone team from Gedaliah's own unit deployed hours later, they spotted terrorists dragging a uniformed body near the gate. Recognizing the tzitzit fringes protruding from the uniform, they confirmed it was an IDF soldier. A heavy Golani Brigade armored vehicle was dispatched, successfully preventing the terrorists from abducting his remains.
Gedaliah was laid to rest at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. He is survived by his parents, siblings, and his newlywed wife, Sini, a recent immigrant from the United States.
