Watan-The Israeli occupation army disclosed the death of Colonel Assaf Hamami, the commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, on October 7th, stating that the body of the deceased officer is still held in Gaza by the Hamas movement.
According to Hebrew media sources, the Israeli occupation army stated in a brief statement: “Under the allowed publication category: The killing of the commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division in the attack on October seventh, and his body is held by the Hamas movement.”
The Hebrew newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” noted that after nearly two months since the Hamas attack, the news of Hamami’s fall and the abduction of his body to Gaza, along with the bodies of two soldiers from his unit, has been allowed for publication.
Kibbutz Nirim
Colonel Hamami, the commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, is considered the highest-ranking officer killed in the war, along with two soldiers from his unit.
According to details provided by the same source, Colonel Hamami, the commander of the Southern Brigade in Gaza, was killed in a surprise attack launched by Hamas on October 7th, near Kibbutz Nirim. Two soldiers were also killed in the battle: Sergeant Tomer Yaakob Achimes, a 20-year-old from Lahavim who served as the communications officer for the brigade commander, and Sergeant Kiril Brodski, a 19-year-old from Ramat Gan.
Yisrael Gal, the mayor of Kiryat Ono, said to Israeli media, “Assaf Hamami, the commander of the Southern Brigade, was summoned with his command center to protect Kibbutz Nirim,” noting that he was survived by a wife and three children.
According to Israeli occupation acknowledgments, since the start of the “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” the number of Israeli occupation army casualties has reached 392, including officers and soldiers. A report published by the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” revealed that 1,000 officers and soldiers have been injured.
The Israeli newspaper “Maariv” clarified that 27 Israeli military personnel have undergone amputation surgeries since the beginning of the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Livai Brigade
Colonel Hamami, the deceased officer of Druze descent, began his military career in the Israeli occupation army in the Givati Brigade in 2001, as reported by Hebrew media sources.
In 2010, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the Chief of Staff at the time, Gabi Ashkenazi.
He served as the commander of the Sabar Battalion from 2016 to 2018, then as the commander of the Training Base for the Commando Brigade from 2018 to 2020. Between 2020 and 2022, he assumed the position of the commander of the Negev Brigade. In May of the previous year, he was appointed as the commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division.
Colonel Hamami is one of three Israeli generals killed since the Israeli occupation army’s war on Gaza, being the highest-ranking officer among them. The other two officers killed by the Qassam Brigades are Colonel Roy Levy, the commander of the Multidimensional Unit, and Colonel Yonatan Steinberg, the commander of the Nahal Brigade.