Nave Habshoosh, a 20-year-old resident of Adam in Samaria, was identified as the fourth soldier whose name was cleared for publication following the deadly tank incident in Lebanon on Friday.
In an interview with Kan News, Nave’s father, Haim, spoke about his son and the devastating moment the family received the news.
“They knocked on our door in the middle of the night, and since then we’ve been caught in a storm of emotions that won’t end. We lost the most precious thing a family can lose," he said. “Nave was a child of light, kind, humble, and full of love for others. He always saw the person in front of him before himself. He was someone who spoke little but did a lot."
Haim, who serves as a deputy reserve battalion commander himself, said Nave had completed a tank commanders course several months earlier and hoped to continue to officer training. However, he chose first to gain more operational experience in combat.
“Nave did not fight so that people would be afraid. He fought so that we could continue living," his father said. “I also want to send a message of unity. Our enemy does not distinguish between one person and another. His tank crew included the battalion commander, a member of Kibbutz Beit HaShita, someone from Herzliya, and another from Hod HaSharon. This is a melting pot, and this is how we must continue to live."
Haim recalled his final exchange with his son before the incident. “He sent me a message an hour and a quarter before it happened. He wrote that there was a chance he would be home on Sunday. He told me: ‘Please don’t tell Mom, because it might not work out in the end. I don’t want Mom to be sad. Until early this morning, we truly didn’t know whether he would come home today. We waited until they identified him in the morning. As he said, he is coming home today. He is not coming home the way we wanted, but he is coming home."
The family had already endured the October 7th massacre while Nave and his father were both involved in the fighting. Haim said his older daughter was also serving at the time, and that there was a period when both he and she were stationed in Gaza. He also met Nave there during the war. The family later discovered notes written by Nave, including his thoughts about responsibility and contribution.
“Some say that a fool allows himself to be taken advantage of because he permits it, and that he takes on tasks alone that everyone should share," Nave wrote. “But I want to do and invest as much as possible."
His father said the family tried calling him repeatedly but received no answer. In Nave’s final WhatsApp status, he shared the quote: “Don’t cry because it’s over - smile because it happened."
“The phone is unavailable, but the status is still there," Haim said. “We also found something else he wrote: ‘Live as if you are going to die tomorrow.’"