Or Moses

Capt. Or Moses, 22, from Ashdod, a commander in the Home Front Command, was killed battling Hamas terrorists on the Zikim base near Gaza on October 7.

Friends and family say that Moses, a deputy commander in a search-and-rescue battalion, was among those on the base who went out to protect the young trainees, most of whom had only enlisted a few months earlier, to fight against the terrorists trying to infiltrate the base.

She is survived by her parents, Yochi and Yisrael, and two younger siblings.

“Since 7th grade she knew she wanted to be a combat soldier and to have a meaningful IDF service, it was clear to her,” her mother, Yochi, told the Mako news site.

According to reports, 14 of the commanders on base went to try and repel the terrorist invasion, and seven were killed in the battle. But the terrorists were prevented from invading and the 90 trainees on base remained safe.

“All of the [senior] staff manned the front positions instead of the rookies, and then sent all of the trainees into the shelters and told them not to come out,” Yochi said. “Her trainees were the most important to her. She fought and defended them until her last moment.”

Yochi described Or as “a smart girl who excelled in everything she did, beloved by everyone, and left her stamp any place she went. Or wanted to travel in Japan and in the world, to study medicine and to continue to save lives.”

Or was “like her name,” said her father Yisrael, which means “light” in Hebrew. “A hero. She didn’t miss anything in life, she wanted to do everything. It’s not surprise that she stormed” to the front lines.

Her sister, Stav Moses, penned a tribute to her older sister on Instagram.

“My Ori, my big sister, what can I say about a sister as perfect as you?” she wrote. “The light of our house, you were everything to us… thank you for everything. Thank you for the privilege of saying that you’re my sister. You were an incredible role model for me and I always aspired and will continue to strive to be like you.”

“Whenever that was music around you would immediately start to dance, to put on a show for us in the living room like you were a huge star, but your voice would always crack,” Stav recalled.

“My Or always loved the army and always loved what she did for our country.”