Discovering a Son's Bravery Through Unimaginable Loss

Dina Gedalia treasures a video taken 20 minutes before her son Yosef Malachi’s death, offering a rare glimpse into his bravery during the battle in Kfar Aza. Yosef was the fifth of seven children and had recently married Sini, a newcomer from the United States. They had just celebrated their anniversary shortly before his untimely passing.

The video she received came from the body camera of an officer also fighting in Kfar Aza. It documents a civilian shot in the chest by terrorists, lying wounded and bleeding for hours. Yosef suddenly appears in the footage with his friend, Or Yosef Ran, rescuing the injured civilian and transporting him to waiting medical support. This clip represents only a small portion of Yosef’s relentless three hours of rescue efforts, during which he repeatedly entered danger zones until he himself was injured and killed.

Yosef Gedalia

“I’m Out”

“On Simchat Torah, we were in Jerusalem,” Dina begins. “It’s a tradition on my husband’s side to celebrate the holiday together there. Our extended family, more than a hundred people, gathers for communal prayers.”

That celebration became Yosef’s final meal with his family. “His last conversation with his brother after the holiday meal was about how to bring the redemption closer and what could be done to achieve it,” she recalls. “The Beit Hamikdash was always on his mind. When Yosef was ten, my husband began a tradition during Sukkot and Passover. We would leave Beit Shemesh on foot and walk 40 kilometers to the Kotel. At first it took ten hours, but over time we found shorter routes and reduced it to eight. Yosef loved this journey and brought more people along each year.”

Yosef was deeply committed to hastening redemption and was meticulous about avoiding lashon hara, harmful speech. Friends recalled how he would excuse himself from conversations that did not align with thoughts of the Beit Hamikdash, saying, “Sorry guys, I’m out. This isn’t helping.” He was deeply respected for this integrity.

Yosef guarding the visit of Biden

The Last Blessing

The calm of the holiday shattered at dawn. Yosef, a member of the elite Duvdevan unit specializing in counterterrorism, was scheduled for a mission later that day. By 8 a.m., his commander alerted him to a major security incident unfolding in the south. Although the full scope was still unclear and his mission had not yet begun, Yosef chose not to wait.

Dina managed to catch him as he exited the synagogue. She quickly blessed him, saying, “May His angels be enjoined over you,” followed by the Priestly Blessing. Yosef put on his uniform and rushed to Kfar Aza.

In Kfar Aza, Yosef joined fellow Duvdevan soldiers who had also arrived independently. He specialized in drone operations, providing crucial situational awareness. Dina explains that Yosef was deeply invested in improving his unit’s readiness and operational skills. While in the village, he attempted to deploy his drone, which was mistakenly shot down by friendly forces. He immediately radioed to ensure IDF units were aware of their drone usage, a decision that later prevented his abduction.

Last footage of Yosef assisting a wounded person

Together with his fellow soldiers, Yosef helped rescue the wounded and fought numerous terrorists. The footage captures only a fragment of their actions. Dina recounts that in his final engagement, Yosef and his team entered the youth neighborhood of Kfar Aza, an area previously associated with abductions.

“Yosef stood in the rear, weapon ready, firing at terrorists,” she says. “They noticed an abandoned RPG and decided to take it. An ambush followed. An RPG was fired at them, and their vehicle caught fire.”

Four soldiers jumped from the vehicle, two of them without rifles that were trapped inside. Yosef was one of them. Grenades and gunfire rained down. When the smoke cleared, one soldier, Or Yosef Ran, was dead, and Yosef Gedalia was missing.

“Sending a Mother’s Love”

Three hours later, another Duvdevan team from Yosef’s drone unit arrived. They launched a drone to gain control of the chaotic scene. “Because of Yosef’s earlier coordination with the air force regarding drone use, their drone was not shot down,” Dina explains.

The drone footage showed terrorists near the village gate dragging a body. At first, it was unclear whether the figure was a soldier or a terrorist disguised in uniform. Then they noticed tzitzit, confirming it was one of their own. Dina notes that Yosef was meticulous about this mitzvah and always wore tzitzit, even under the most difficult conditions.

At that moment, a heavy Golani vehicle arrived and prevented the abduction, an act Dina describes as divine intervention.

Yosef and wife Sini

What happened before the drone identified him?

“This part remained a mystery,” Dina says. “We slowly pieced things together. For months I would wake up at night with questions. What happened in those hours? Was he alive? Did he suffer?”

“I eventually learned to send my mother’s love back to that moment. A mother’s love transcends time and space. I couldn’t protect him or be there, but returning there in my thoughts brought me peace and allowed me to sleep.”

She adds, “I am grateful Yosef was not abducted, even as my heart aches for those whose loved ones still have no burial place. At his memorial, I thanked Hashem for giving us a place to mourn. We narrowly escaped a far worse fate.”

Yosef with his parents

Music of the Heart

A year later, the family uncovered another profound connection.

In a message sent to their eldest son, a soldier who fought in Kfar Aza finally shared his experience. “He had remained silent for a year,” Dina explains. “He wrote about being trapped in Kfar Aza with his comrades on Simchat Torah. Each attempt to escape was met with heavy gunfire.”

Desperate, they tried once more, misjudging the terrorists waiting beyond the gate. As they prepared to leave cover, a soldier suddenly ran out ahead of them armed with only a pistol. The writer described witnessing a lone hero who cleared the path by neutralizing multiple terrorists before falling himself, unseen by those he saved.

Later, Dina’s son discovered that the author of the message was the son of a neighbor, someone they knew well.

Yosef with his mother

Yosef's wedding day

How do you find the strength to face this loss?

“Because of the number of casualties, it took two days before we could bury Yosef on Mount Herzl,” Dina says. “During that time, I thought deeply about what I would say at the funeral.” With only 30 minutes allotted for the ceremony, her words were limited to a single minute.

“At the eulogy, I said I did not see myself as a bereaved mother. The term didn’t fit. I felt more connected to the phrase ‘the joyful mother of children.’”

She recalled Serach bat Asher, who gently sang to Jacob that Joseph was still alive. “That song became my inner melody,” Dina says. “It sustains me. The song of ‘Yosef is still alive.’”

“Even now,” she adds, “I sing those words to my heart. ‘The joyful mother,’ and ‘Yosef is still alive.’ I believe in the redemption that will come through righteous women.”