Staff Sgt. Yoav Raver, z”l

Staff Sergeant Yoav Rever, the eldest son of Gili and Lior, and brother to Omri and Tamar, grew up in Moshav Sde Warburg in the Sharon, born into a family deeply rooted in the community. His mother describes him as “a perfect child, the best son, the best brother, the most beloved friend.” He was admired by everyone who knew him.

Yoav studied at Ami Assaf Regional School and Katznelson High School in Kfar Saba, and became a young man of values, intelligence, and sensitivity, who knew how to set goals for himself and achieve them. A humble young man with a huge smile on his face and a rolling laugh, he always chose to walk his own path, never the easy one. In his youth, Yoav decided to become a player on Israel’s national basketball team. He decided – and he succeeded. He was an outstanding athlete and basketball player, a member of Israel’s national team until the age of fourteen, and a player in the youth division of Hapoel Kfar Saba. He participated in international tournaments, represented Israel, and was known as a dedicated, exceptional, and humble player.

Although he could have enlisted as an “outstanding athlete,” Yoav chose significant combat service. He was determined and fought to be given a full medical profile of 97.

Yoav enlisted in the Combat Engineering Corps, in the elite Yahalom unit, in August 2023. Throughout the long and difficult training course, Yoav never complained. He loved the army, loved the unit, and loved his team. His teammates recall a fighter who was a model of courage and calm, possessing a rare combination of responsibility, dedication, and maturity, as well as a love for the land and people.

On October 7, 2023, Simchat Torah 5784, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack on Israel. Under the cover of barrages of thousands of rockets, thousands of armed terrorists crossed the border into Israel, infiltrating cities and taking control of communities, outposts, and bases. The terrorists murdered around eight hundred civilians and abducted hundreds of Israelis to the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of security personnel fell in the battles. Following the attack, Israel entered a state of war. At the start of the war, Yoav was still a young soldier in training. He completed the demanding course successfully and joined the fighting. Yoav fought in Syria and in Lebanon. Two months before he fell, he went south to fight in the Gaza Strip. He participated in challenging and complex battles and operations, during which he consistently displayed bravery, composure, and determination. When his father asked him if he wasn’t afraid, Yoav replied that he was afraid, but that he and his friends were professionals. Yoav went out on his mission with his head held high, hoping to bring information about the hostages or to bring the hostages home. Soldiers who met him during the fighting described a warrior who did everything with bravery, gentleness, and a smile.

On June 6, 2025, Yoav fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip. He was 19 years old. Yoav was laid to rest in the civilian cemetery in Sde Warburg. His father eulogized him: “You left us a great legacy – to be humble and not speak ill, to live a full life.”

May his memory be blessed.