Two Border Police officers, Sergeant First Class Gal Yosef and Sergeant First Class Tomer Eliyahu Kalifi, were killed Saturday morning when struck by a vehicle on Route 90 near the Sde Eliezer junction in the Upper Galilee.
The two were riding motorcycles at the time of the crash. In addition, a man and woman in their 70s were moderately injured. Police and fire crews arrived at the scene.
Sergeant First Class Gal Yosef, 23 years old from Afula, served in the Border Police in the Northern District and is survived by his wife, parents, and two sisters. Gal enlisted in the Border Police and was stationed as a Border Police officer in Judea and Samaria following his training period. Later, he served as a career officer in the Border Police in northern Israel. During his time in service, Gal commanded a team of officers, and he is described as someone who took on any task or responsibility for his comrades.
One of his comrades recalled: “He had the best heart of anyone I’ve ever met. When there wasn’t a commander for the team, Gal would step up and take care of every fighter. Any problem someone had, he would solve — he would move heaven and earth for his men.”
A friend decribed: “One day he finished a morning shift, and when another fighter couldn’t come for the night shift due to a family event, Gal volunteered to stay on and cover it. He would volunteer for everything, and he never said ‘no’ to any request.”
Gal got married three weeks ago, and a friend described: “A week before the wedding, when he was on special leave to prepare for the event, he was asked to come back for Shabbat due to a manpower shortage. He dropped everything and came. That was Gal — always first to volunteer, always thinking of others.”
Another comrade said: “I’m a critical person, but I can’t say one bad word about him. Everyone always loved him. For me, he was my only weakness in the unit — I survived service only because of him. This Shabbat he was supposed to be on duty, but his commander rewarded him by giving him leave to stay home because of his outstanding performance. That was Gal — always giving his all, always valued, always loved.”
Sergeant First Class Tomer Eliyahu Kalifi, 24 years old from Kfar Baruch, also served as a Border Police officer on northern Israel. He is survived by his parents, three sisters, and girlfriend. He began his service in the Border Police in Judea and Samaria before transferring with his team to the northern unit, where they served together on the same team for the past seven years. Just last month, he took command of a team in the unit and distinguished himself as a skilled investigator, excelling in every mission.
A friend said: “The one word for him is ‘man.’ He gave his heart to everyone. He was the anchor of the unit. In every operation, we knew Tomer would lead the team and make it succeed. He was a top-class investigator, and extremely professional.”
Beyond his professionalism, he was remembered as a true friend and genuine conversationalist. “At every social event, he would plan everything down to the last detail, always making sure everyone was together. If someone needed personal or professional advice, Tomer was the one to turn to. He always knew how to listen and give the right advice.”
Another comrade added: “His heart was open to everyone. He did everything from the heart, and you could feel it in every action and every mission.”