In a recent interview on the Kikar FM podcast, Eliyahu Libman sat down to share a story no parent should ever have to tell. A reserve lieutenant colonel, former Golani reconnaissance fighter, and past head of the Kiryat Arba local council near Hebron, Libman has spent his life in service to Israel's security and settlement enterprise.
But as interviewer Eli Gotthelf noted at the outset, before all his titles and accomplishments, Eliyahu Libman is first and foremost a father—the father of Elyakim, who fell on October 7 at the Nova festival massacre.
Elyakim, 23, was working as a security guard at the outdoor music festival near Kibbutz Re'im when Hamas terrorists attacked. Unarmed and facing overwhelming violence, he chose to stay behind to help evacuate the wounded. He died in what would become known as the "ambulance of death," a vehicle struck by RPG fire as it attempted to rescue victims.
His story, and his father's journey to find him, offers a window into both the horror of that day and the resilience of those left behind.
