Gal Shabbat

Maj. Gal Shabbat, z"l, 24, of Katzir – Company Commander, 202nd Battalion, 35th Paratroopers Brigade. Severely wounded in battle with terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip on 15 May, he succumbed to his wounds on Sunday, 19 May.

Gal came from the town of Katzir, and served as the company commander in the 202nd Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade. Roni Shamshoni, who was Gal's fiancée, shared in an interview on Kan Reshet Bet about Gal's character and the relationship they shared.

"We were supposed to get married in nine months. We had conversations and letters where we talked about having three children, a house by the sea, and a dog," she shared. "We planned our lives years ahead, but the thing is, when he proposed, he said, 'I want to spend my whole life with you'; he didn’t say he wanted to grow old with me. I can console myself that from that point on, I was there, his whole life, until the end. It's a small comfort, but in the end, it hurts a lot. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve fully processed it yet.

Roni shared how the two met during their training at Bahad 1 (the IDF officer training base). 'We both came back together and met on the bus. He sat next to me and walked me to my quarters. Right away, I told my roommates—I found my future husband. I went to the guard post and got his information. I messaged him on Instagram, and we talked for hours every night. There was great love there, and there still is. As long as there’s love—nothing else matters.'

'It was the best day of my life; I had him forever,' Roni recounted about Gal’s proposal in a hot air balloon. Regarding the incident in which he fell, she said she still doesn’t know exactly what happened as the event is under investigation, but added, 'What can be said—Gal was a hero. It wasn’t accidental. That’s what everyone who was there is saying.'

Speaking of his time in Gaza, she shared: 'When he was in Gaza, he didn’t tell me much; he didn’t want to worry me. He would send pictures of himself drinking coffee and say, "Nothing’s happening, it’s boring." Then he would show me pictures at home that were absolutely terrifying.'

In his role, Gal was the company commander of a Haredi company in the Paratroopers. Roni described his experience there, saying the soldiers loved him greatly. 'He raised generations of good, moral fighters, good people. They told me I’m part of the family, and it’s true. They used to call him “Abba Shabbat” (Father Shabbat); he gave them everything they needed. He would put on tefillin with them and sing songs with them. He truly was the perfect commander for them, and all his soldiers would say so.'"