Hundreds attended the funeral on Sunday of Staff Sgt. Alexander Filin, 29, a fighter in the Gaza Division’s 36th Division headquarters, who was buried at the military cemetery in Haifa. Filin was killed on Wednesday by an explosive device in the village of A-Taibeh in southern Lebanon. His wife, Dasha, wept at the burial and said, "You were the anchor in my life and an amazing father to our little Emily. Just on Wednesday you said goodbye to her, and a few hours later you were killed."
Filin immigrated alone from Ukraine about 14 years ago through the Naale program, studied at Aloni Yitzhak boarding school, and later moved to Ra'anana. During his regular service he served as a sniper in the Nahal Brigade. In 2018 he was chosen to receive the President's Award for excellence, and two years earlier he neutralized a terrorist in an attack.
At the funeral, relatives, friends, commanders and fellow soldiers described him as a devoted family man and a quiet, modest professional. Dasha said he had a "golden heart," a constant smile, and dreamed of opening his own restaurant. His mother, Mira, and father, Sergey, also sent farewell words through a family friend, saying he was a son they could always rely on and that he left too early. His sister Olga said he was her protective older brother and promised, "We will meet again."
The fatal incident took place around 5 p.m. on Wednesday during a foot operation by the headquarters of the deputy commander of Division 36 in the Litani River area. An initial IDF inquiry indicated it was likely an enemy explosive device; the rest of the case remains under investigation. The deputy division commander and a reserve battalion commander in Logistics Brigade 556 were wounded moderately, and after the incident the army struck terror infrastructure in the area with artillery fire.
