Fallen Captain Maoz Recanati's Fiancée Bids a Final Farewell to Him
Two days after Captain Maoz Israel Recanati was killed by a Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon, one month before his wedding, his fiancée stood at his graveside and spoke of the man only she knew.
Captain Maoz Israel Recanati, 24, a platoon commander in the Golani Brigade's 12th Battalion from Itamar, was killed by an explosive drone strike in southern Lebanon on Friday. He was set to marry his fiancée Roni in approximately one month. He is the 20th IDF soldier killed in Lebanon since Operation Roaring Lion began in February, and the seventh since the ceasefire was declared.
At his funeral, Roni spoke not of battles or bravery, but of eyes.
"How can you be summed up in words?" she said. "The people of Israel deserve to know who you are, even though you hate this so much. The first time we met, the first thing I noticed were your kind and beautiful eyes. I fell into them every time. Everyone said you had kind eyes."
She spoke of his stillness, a quiet that radiated safety rather than absence. "Everyone who met you for the first time was struck by your calm, which said so much about you. You weren't stressed by anything, you weren't afraid of anything. It was so calming to be with you."
And then she said the words that will be remembered longest: "I wanted you to come to my bridal chair and smile at me. I wanted you to be a father. You could have been a perfect father."
Thursday Night at a Wedding
The fatal drone strike occurred on Friday at approximately 2:00 PM, when a Hezbollah explosive drone hit a Golani Brigade force operating in the village of Deir Seryan in southern Lebanon.
The night before, Maoz had been dancing.
Roni described the last hours they had together: "On Thursday we went together to my cousin's wedding. At some point you got up to dance, you, the shy and quiet one. You saw my little brother, you lifted him onto your shoulders and danced with him for hours. You looked so happy. I asked if you wanted to stop dancing and you said: 'No, let's keep going.'"
"You didn't judge anyone, you looked at everyone with a kind eye. How you loved your family. Everyone said you noticed the small details, that's why I was never worried. I knew you were careful."
A Nation in Mourning
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: "The entire people of Israel bows its head in mourning over Captain Maoz Yisrael Recanati, a heroic fighter who courageously led his soldiers against our enemies. Maoz was due to marry his fiancée, Rani, in about a month, and we all embrace her and his loved ones during this difficult hour."
Defense Minister Israel Katz called him "an admired commander, brave and devoted to his soldiers, who led from the front with responsibility, personal example, and love of the land."
Recanati is survived by his parents and six siblings. He was posthumously promoted from lieutenant to captain.
Roni ended her eulogy in tears: "What a loss to the people of Israel, you are a great soul. I love you so much. I'm sorry if I did anything wrong. Forgive me. My whole body hurts. We are strong and we will continue to live, we will love our people as you would have wanted. Rest in peace. You need to rest, you worked so hard. I love you and miss you so much."
