Staff sergeant nadav balua
Known to be a kind-hearted, calm and modest young man, Nadav’s aunt, Irit Ben Hamo, said in tears that Nadav (Nadi, as his family members called him) insisted on joining a top quality commando unit, rather than being a simple soldier. "He was not one of those who evade their duties. He said he wanted to defend his home. He told his mother 'I will defend you.' Nadav’s mother objected because she didn’t want him to be far away from her, but one bright day he told her, 'mother, I have been accepted to the commando unit.' Nadav was killed in an exchange of fire on July 20, 2006 in Maroun al-Ras in Southern Lebanon, just across the border from Avivim. He had celebrated his 21st birthday two weeks earlier.