Hundreds Farewell Tank Soldier Liav Kababia, Killed in Southern Lebanon

Hundreds of mourners gathered on Sunday at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba to bury Staff Sgt. Liav Kababia, a tank soldier from Battalion 52 in Hod HaSharon, who was killed in the “battalion commander’s tank” incident in southern Lebanon. Friends said they loved him deeply and only later realized how much he meant to them and how much they would miss him.

The former commander of Battalion 52, who was badly wounded, delivered a tearful eulogy and called Kababia a fearless fighter who sacrificed himself for the people of Israel and the land of Israel. He said, “I thank you for saving my life in Bint Jbeil. Today I stand here above you.”

Kababia’s mother spoke through tears, describing him as “a wonderful child and a remarkable boy” who loved his military service and the friends from his tank and felt he had found meaning there. She added, “We will go on living, and your light is great and immense,” and urged those present to “be positive, look for the good, surround yourselves with good people, smile,” ending with, “Be Liav.”

His younger sister, Alona, said he was her role model and asked how she could write a eulogy for a child who had been so full of life. She said she admired him in the army and that “because of you I enlisted in combat.”