Childhood Friends Killed in Gaza Combat Years Apart

Two childhood friends from Har Halutz in northern Israel have been killed in combat in the Gaza Strip nearly three years apart. Nadav Kali, a reservist with the 7007th Battalion of the 16th Brigade, was killed this week by a drone explosion. His friend, Itai Saadon, died in battle on November 3, 2023. The two young men grew up together, with their families living in houses across from each other.

Following Nadav's death, Itai's mother shared childhood photos highlighting the deep bond the boys shared from a young age. Itai Saadon, 21, served as a tank commander in the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Brigade. He was killed in northern Gaza less than a month after the October 7, 2023 attacks. Nearly three years later, Nadav Kali was also killed in the Palestinian enclave.

Nadav Kali was buried in the Misgav Regional Cemetery, near his childhood friend's grave. Itai's mother described the two as inseparable since childhood, recalling their shared years in their small Galilee community. Their intertwined paths both ended in the same war, separated by years.