Sergeant Neve Habshus, 20, from Geva Binyamin Adam, is the fourth soldier from the 52nd Armored Corps Battalion to fall in the tank disaster in southern Lebanon on Friday night.
He was killed along with three of his comrades in the battalion tank disaster in southern Lebanon: 52nd Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Dor Gedaliah Ben Simhon, 32, from Kibbutz Beit Hashita, Sergeant Liav Kabbaiah, 20, from Hod Hasharon, and Sergeant Yoav Klein, 21, from Herzliya, Israel.
Neve is survived by his parents Haim and Einav, and his sisters Noam and Nesia.
Neve was born and raised in Adam and was educated in the educational institutions of the town. After graduating from high school, he studied at the Beit Yatir Pre-Military Preparatory School. He enlisted in the Armored Corps and served as a tank commander in the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Brigade, having recently completed a tank commanders course. Later, he planned to attend an officer course.
The Habashosh family is part of the Binyamin Council employee family.
The mother, Einav, serves as the director of the special education department in the council's education division. Naveh's sister, Noam, works in the council's security center. Amidst the heavy pain of Naveh's fall, the entire council family embraces Einav, Noam and the family members in their difficult time.
His father, Haim, who serves as deputy commander of the Yiftach Reserve Brigade, talks about his son, who was especially loved, always the first to help, donate and lend a hand to others. "He was just a good boy. Everyone loved him. He would always give up, help and donate. He was an angel who walked around here with us.".
In recent months, Naveh has been fighting in Lebanon as a tank commander in the 52nd Battalion. His father says that Naveh was very proud of his service as a fighter and commander in the Armored Corps and saw it as a real mission. "He was very proud of what he was doing. Being at the forefront. He felt very significant.".
About two weeks ago, he came for his last visit home, and shortly after, he went out to spend Shabbat with his two grandparents, whom he had not seen for a long time due to his operational service.
On Friday night, at 11:00 PM, Naveh sent a message to his father, Haim: "Naveh wrote that he might be going home on Sunday, but that I shouldn't tell Mom, so that if it doesn't work out, Mom wouldn't be sad. An hour and a quarter later, the tank he was in hit a bomb and Naveh was killed.".
Neve is the third victim from Geva Binyamin and the 64th from the Binyamin Regional Council since the start of the war.
Council Chairman Benjamin Yisrael Gantz:
""Our hearts are broken by the fall of Neve Habshus, the late. Neve was one of the best sons of this country. A young man full of light, love of humanity, responsibility and humility, who chose to stand at the forefront and protect the people of Israel. The dear Habshus family is part of the Binyamin Council family. Einav and Noam work dedicatedly for the residents of Binyamin, and the pain over Neve's fall is felt today in every home and in every community.
""It is precisely from this great rift that we look with appreciation and respect at this wonderful generation of warriors. A generation that is willing to give everything for the people and the country. Neve was one of this generation. On behalf of all the residents of Binyamin, I embrace Haim, Einav, Noam and Nissa and share in their heavy grief. We will continue to stand by the family in whatever is necessary.".
His funeral will be held today (Sunday) at 6:00 PM on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
The tank disaster occurred on Friday night after midnight as part of an operation that Division 36 has been conducting over the past week on the Ali Taher ridge south of Nabatieh. According to initial investigation, Hezbollah carried out a combined attack and launched anti-tank missiles, probably Kornet, at the tank and at least one explosive drone that may have been carrying anti-tank weapons.
The investigation revealed that an armed drone managed to penetrate the tank through the rear corridor - the tank's back door, after the Kornet attack and explode inside the tank, which led to the tragic outcome.
The drone's infiltration is currently the focus of investigation by the IDF and the Armored Corps, and the IDF says the explosion was not caused by a technical malfunction.
