Captain Shir Eilat

20 years old in her fall

Born on December 19, 2002

Fell in battle on October 7, 2023

Border Protection Corps

Gezer Civil Cemetery, row 1, grave 1

Her family

Daughter of Ayelet and Doron
Sister of Nir and Lior

Granddaughter of Julia and the late Amos and Shulamit and the late Gabriel

Her personal story

Shir was born in the Kfar Shmuel Moshav on December 19, 2002, as the eldest daughter to her parents Doron and Ayelet, sister to Nir and Lior. Shir is the aunt of Imri Gabriel and Elia Shir, who was named after her.
Shir is a "Sdot Ayalon" elementary school,Herzog Junior High and the Gezer Regional Council High School graduate. She majored in theater and psychology.
Shir was a member and instructor in the youth movement "Maccabi Youth".
Elia, her lifemate for six months before her fall, is a fighter in the paratrooper special unit and is now in officers' training in training base 1 (Bahad 1). Elia studied with Shir in high school and the two were good friends for years.

Her service in the security forces

Shir enlisted in the IDF on August 1, 2021 and served in the Combat Data Collection Corps, in the Border Protection Unit. After her training in a field observer course, she was assigned to the Nahal Oz outpost and served there for several months. From there, she was sent to a platoon leadercourse and later to an officers' course. Upon completion, she was assigned at "Sayarim" base where she trained female soldiers for the position of field observers and "Shacham" land data collection inspectors. After approx. a rotation and a half, Shir was chosen to command the Nahal Oz command post. It was one of the most difficult positions in the Gaza Strip sector and she filled it as part of her regular duty service.

Shir integrated very quickly into the role and put a great deal of thought and effort into it, many times at the expense of her sleeping hours and opurtunities to visit home. In her own special way, she served for the soldiers under the command, as a mother, a companion and a commander. At the same time, she fulfilled the many challenging tasks assigned to her. Shir knew how to ensure a good atmosphere in the operations room, she was meticulous about professionalism and control and proficiency in the sector and the many tasks that were under her responsibility in the operations room.

The circumstances of her fall

During the "Black Sabath" on October 7, 2023 at 6:25 in the morning, Shir was at the Nahal Oz outpost when the terrorist attack began. She was the field observers' senior commander at the outpost that day.
During her shift, the observers announced the infiltration of hundreds of terrorists into the surrounding kibbutzim and into the outpost. Shir directed the Golani forces commanders and provided them and the fighting force in the division with real-time data. At the same time, she activated the "Seek and Shoot" system that was placed near the border with Gaza against terrorists approaching the fence. At some point the system was destroyed.
During the crisis, Shir took care of her soldiers and reassured them. Shir's soul mate, Lior Lifshitz, told Channel 13 that Shir managed to make the female soldiers laugh in their last moments.

Shir managed the crisis with exceptional bravery and composure. After hours of fighting, the terrorists overpowered the commander and Shir fell along with seven female soldiers, four Golani soldiers, a tracker, and two operations sergeants.
Her family received the bitter news only a few days later, on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Her character and personality

Shir was a girl bursting with joy of life and a rolling laugh, an exemplary daughter, smart and energetic. At the same time, she possessed an inner peace that testified to her inner strength and leadership ability. In her special way, she was a good friend, full of love and knew how to give wise advice to her friends.

Her favorite things

Shir loved the beach very much and spent every opportunity she had there. She also really liked to travel and eat in good restaurants.

Her legacy and commemoration

The following words were published on the Gezer Regional Council's Instagram page after Shir's fall:
"The Gezer Regional Council announces with a broken heart the death of Lieutenant Shir Eilat, a military officer, 20 years old from Kfar Shmuel, a Herzog High School and Sdot Ayalon School graduate, in the battle on Nahal Oz. We embrace the Eilat family, the parents Ayelet and Doron, the sisters Lior and Nir, the Kfar Shmuel Moshav, and the Herzog School and Sdot Ayalon School community."

The Herzog high school where Shir studied gathered its students to release white balloons in her memory. The event was filmed in a video along with the "You have you" song lyrics (lyrics by Israeli singer Hodaya Hayut, music by Alantan Shalom):
""Go now shine like the sun
You have wings to fly afar
Go now without fear,
And if it hurts a little
this tune I wrote will keep you warm
and even if you're there alone,
so alone
know that you always have you."
Watch the event here.

On the Instagram page in memory of Shir, a necklace designed in her memory is shown. On one side of the pendant there is a shell symbolizing Shir's love for the sea. On the other side of the pendant is engraved with the phrase "There is no one else like you". This sentence is taken from the song by famous israeli singer Eden Hasson, which Shir loved. The spiral shape of the shell symbolizes infinity and perfection.

In Shir's memory, a memorial corner was established at the "Maccabi" club in the Gezer Regional Council.

The food baskets' distribution run for families in need was held on December 22, 2023 and was dedicated to commemorate Shir's name. (Tweet on Twitter)

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