Childhood Friends Who Grew Up Next Door Killed in Gaza War

Two childhood friends from the small northern Israeli community of Har Halutz, Itai Saadon and Nadav Kali, both killed in the Gaza war, grew up living across the street from each other. Nadav Kali, a reservist, was killed this week in a drone explosion incident in the Gaza Strip along with another soldier, Ofeq Moalem. He was buried near his friend Itai Saadon, who fell in November 2023 during a battle in the northern Gaza Strip.

Lihat Saadon, Itai's mother, shared childhood photos of the two boys on social media, expressing her disbelief and grief. "We mothers used to sit on the sidewalk, today I meet them mostly in the cemetery," she wrote, recalling their shared childhood on a quiet street where children played freely. She described their homes being opposite each other, separated by a small garden, and the street's traditions like Lag Ba'omer bonfires and a children's market.

Saadon recounted how the street, once filled with the sounds of children playing, emptied as they grew up. Itai Saadon, who served as a tank commander, was 21 when he died. His parents have been actively commemorating him on social media. "My son came to me with angel wings... and whispered to me, 'You don't have to worry anymore, Mom, the war is over for me,'" she wrote in a Facebook post shortly after his death, describing a dream she had.

Friends of Nadav Kali, who served in a reserve battalion, remembered him as a "true warrior at heart" and a strong, loyal person. They recalled long conversations that ranged from trivial matters to science and the stars, emphasizing his kindness and the void his absence leaves. They described his parents' home as a place where they all grew up, making it difficult to separate Nadav from their shared experiences.