In a heartbreaking convergence of history and present-day conflict, Master Sgt. (Res.) Asaf Kafri, 26, was killed in northern Gaza by sniper fire yesterday, at the very moment his 96-year-old great-grandmother, Magda Baratz, a Holocaust survivor, was visiting the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where she had been imprisoned during World War II.

Magda was attending a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Bergen-Belsen as a guest of honor, accompanied by her grandson Haggai, Asaf’s father. Unaware of the tragedy that had just befallen their family, they returned to Israel to learn of Asaf’s death.

Asaf, a tank driver in the IDF’s 79th Battalion of the 14th Armored Brigade, was killed during an operational mission in the Beit Hanoun area of the northern Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, around 1:45 p.m., a Hamas cell launched an anti-tank missile and opened sniper fire at IDF troops positioned at Outpost 39, near Outpost 40. Asaf was fatally struck by sniper fire. Three other soldiers were wounded in the same incident, including two in serious condition—an officer from the elite Yahalom unit and a reservist from Battalion 79.

Asaf was the eldest of four brothers—Yoav, Itay, and Idan. He was studying engineering at Ariel University, having graduated from Herzog High School in Beit Hashmonai and attended Sdot Ayalon elementary school. He was also active in the Tzofim youth movement’s Shevet Lahav chapter.

His aunt, Hadas, spoke of his dedication: “This was his fourth round of reserve duty. On October 7, he put on his uniform and headed south. He never hesitated. He felt it was his generation’s turn to serve and protect. He always said, ‘It’s our duty to give of ourselves and defend the country.’ He believed he was fighting to bring the hostages home.”

Hadas also shared the poignant detail that Asaf had spoken to his partner, Lihi, just hours before his death. “He kept going in and out of Gaza,” she said. “Lihi knew he was inside, but told herself that as long as no one came to the door, he must be okay—and then came the knock.”

Reflecting on Magda’s return to Bergen-Belsen, Hadas said, “She said going back to the place where she almost died, this time with a family she built in Israel, was her personal triumph.”

Asaf’s funeral is scheduled for Sunday at the cemetery in the Gezer Regional Council. Council head Rotem Yadlin expressed the community’s grief: “The residents of the Gezer Regional Council stand with the Kafri family and the Beit Hashmonai community in their immense grief. May his memory be a blessing.”

May the memory of Master Sgt. Asaf Kafri forever be a blessing.