Yosef Guedalia: Israeli Soldier Who Ran Into Kfar Aza on October 7

Takeaways

• Yosef Guedalia was a 22-year-old Duvdevan commando who raced toward the front line at Kfar Aza on October 7.

• He faced dozens of heavily armed terrorists with machine guns, grenades and RPGs.

• His grandfather says he went back in four times under fire to save civilians.

• He fell just days after his first wedding anniversary.

• Fellow soldiers brought him home after terrorists tried to drag his body toward Gaza.

Yosef Guedalia was 10 years old when he first walked to the Western Wall with his family. The route ran from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem, a journey of roughly 40 kilometers on foot, and he kept making it for the rest of his life. Even during military service, he continued visiting the Wall to pray.

Since learning about Yosef (after October 7), I think about that journey on foot to the Wall whenever I drive from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem.  A boy who spent his childhood walking hours uphill toward the holy place where Jews pray grew into a soldier who raced toward the place where Israelis were being slaughtered. Every time I think about Yosef, I get a lump in my throat.

Who Was Yosef Guedalia?

Yosef Malachi Guedalia was born on December 26, 2000, and grew up in Beit Shemesh. He studied at Ahavat Yisrael elementary school and Horev Yeshiva in Jerusalem, then joined the Eli pre-military program before entering the Duvdevan commando unit.

Duvdevan specializes in high-risk counterterrorism operations. Yosef was 22 and married to Senai, who made aliyah from Boston. His father, David, came from the United States, and his mother, Dina, came from the UK.

His family remembers him as gentle, humble, and cheerful, and as a young man deeply committed to helping others selflessly. He was known for his ear-to-ear smile, the twinkle in his eyes, and his habit of studying Torah in every spare moment. His brother said that Yosef was "always happy, there was no bad in him."

Yosef Guedalia at Kfar Aza

On the morning of the attack, Yosef was in Jerusalem with his family. He raced south, reached his base, gathered fellow soldiers and headed for Kibbutz Kfar Aza while terrorists were still attacking residents.

He raced toward the front line. Ahead of him stood dozens of heavily armed terrorists with machine guns, grenades and RPGs, and he kept going.

📖Read here how this Israeli hostage found God in the Tunnels of Gaza

Four Times Into the Fire

Kfar Aza had become a scene of horror. Yosef gave wounded civilians immediate treatment and carried them to safety under fire, a young soldier with a stranger in his arms.

Then, without hesitation, he turned around and raced back into the battle to confront evil and protect the innocent. His grandfather says he did it four times. Each time he had already seen what waited inside, and each time he went anyway.

On the fourth entry, a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into his armored vehicle. He was shot as he escaped the burning vehicle. His brother said Yosef "literally saved people minutes before he got shot."

Yosef fell in heavy crossfire, just days after celebrating his first wedding anniversary.

Then came the cruelest part. His family says terrorists tried to drag his body toward Gaza, apparently planning to hold it as a hostage. Israeli soldiers tracked them down and brought him home.

Yosef’s brother eulogized, "He acted with heroism and determination; he continued to fight and didn't think of himself or hesitate…He went in to rescue as many citizens as possible before they got murdered in their homes and to kill as many terrorists as he could."

I keep returning to one question: what produces a person like this? A boy who walked to the Western Wall at age 10, a soldier who kept going there during his service, and a man who ran into a kibbutz under attack again and again for civilians who needed him.

A Martyred Angel

Yosef is remembered as a "martyred angel," drawing on his middle name, Malachi, which means my angel.

His brother summarized the values Yosef lived by: never stand by while another person's blood is being shed, help people in times of trouble, and never turn away in fear. Jewish tradition roots the first of these in Leviticus 19:16, a verse that commands action when a neighbor is in danger.

Anyone can live that lesson, in uniform or out of it. Courage can look like refusing indifference when someone vulnerable needs help.

Remembering Yosef Guedalia

October 7 left Israeli families without sons and husbands, and it sent residents of communities near Gaza from their homes. I live in Israel, and the grief here has names and faces, Yosef's among them.

Senai lost her husband, and David and Dina lost their son. After his death, relatives and friends continued the pilgrimage to the Western Wall in his memory.

Yosef gave his life for the people he kept going back to save, and his family carries that loss every day. May Yosef Guedalia’s memory be a blessing.

Want to keep reading? Learn about how this hostage found faith in the tunnels from this one book. Explore more on faith, values, and the Land of Israel at Sinai Project.