A soldier in the Givati Brigade’s 13th Battalion, Shalev fell during intense battles in the South against the murderous Hamas organization.

Shalev Baranes followed in his father’s footsteps, serving in the same company and battalion in Golani. “After completing his basic training, he moved to operational duties and stayed in line with his company,” his grandfather shared, “I kept in touch with him as much as I could through WhatsApp and phone calls. He always told me, ‘Grandpa, with your military legacy, don’t worry, everything will be fine.'”

“He was a prince. An amazing child, always the supporter and leader in the family,” wept his grandfather, Colonel (Res.) Alex Baranes. “I was close with him his whole life. I accompanied him to his Bar Mitzvah and throughout his journey. On the military side, I always made sure he listened to his commanders and was cautious. Every Friday when he came home, he would regularly visit us with his parents and brother to eat his grandmother’s cooking. He would take me aside and update me on what he was doing in the army and where he was, and that everything was fine. I wanted to know everything that was happening with him, I was worried and cared for his well-being.”

The last correspondence between the grandfather and grandson was on the eve of Simchat Torah, the day before his fall. “He wrote to me, ‘Happy holiday to you and grandma,'” he says, his voice choked with tears, “I replied, ‘Take care of yourself.’ That was actually the last message from him, and the next day he fell.”