Israel Chana

Israel Chana, z"l, a bank security guard in Ofakim, was killed in action in his hometown, on his Birthday, while taking on an entire squad of terrorists alone, saving many of his neighbors from being murdered.

After realizing that terrorists had invaded the neighborhood and were starting to shoot at the houses, Israel ran to his house, pulled out a gun from the safe and began to attack. If he hadn't engaged them, they would have entered the houses and killed many civilians. Israel fought alone for long minutes with a gun and a cartridge against a terrorist squad.

On Friday evening, He still had time to celebrate his birthday together with his girlfriend Shaf Rosolio at the Forum club in Be'er Sheva. A few hours before the terrorist invasion of Israel, Israel and Sheaf were still dancing in the Forum. Towards six o'clock in the morning the couple returned to Israel's housing unit in his mother's house in the neighborhood in Ofakim. Right after the two took the dog out for a morning walk, the alarms started. 

"One alarm, and another, a sequence of 11 alarms. We realized that something had happened. We didn't know what exactly, but it was unusual. At the first alarm, we prostrated ourselves on the floor and Israel lay down to protect me. At some point, we realized that it wasn't going to end and we ran to the shelter near Israel's house. On the way Israel noticed people who couldn't enter the locked safes and broke them and that's how they got inside."

Israel killed a terrorist who tried to enter the house of a paramedic who lived in the neighborhood, each time he took a different hiding place to surprise the terrorists and prevent them from entering the houses. 

Israel and Shaf have known each other for two years. Shaf is originally from Ashdod and currently lives in Ashkelon, Israel is from Ofakim. They used to maneuver between Ofakim and Ashkelon, and recently they were looking for an apartment in Ashdod to move into together.

Shaf recalled: "Israel, he always helped people wholeheartedly, he would bring happiness and light wherever he went. He brought me a lot of happiness in my life. We talked about marriage, starting a family. He was the man of my life. He always put himself last."