Captain Liad Lavi
Capt. Liad Lavi was an Infantry Corps officer who died from his wounds after being injured in combat in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, July 24. For Lavi, the conflict hit very close to home. He was from Talmei Yosef, a town near the border with Gaza. Childhood friends said that Lavi saw the Gaza operation as a "war over our home." " Liad knew that the goal was to get us out of the situation we've been soaking in for so many years, it hurt him. He protected our homes and us with his body," they said. He was 20 years old.