Yiftach was a Maglan officer who fell in combat in Nahal Oz. In a sealed letter he left for his parents before going on an operation where he might have been killed, Yiftach wrote: “So many thoughts are racing through my mind about why we are doing this, why now, why there. There’s tension in the air, and also dark jokes about who will return and who will not. Many emphases. To work slowly, to be alert, to scan all the time. We know what we are heading into, the enemy knows the terrain and is preparing surprises for us. Soon we will stand at the assembly area, in the final briefing before departure, with a clear knowledge (at least for me) that we are heading into an operation from which not all of us will return. Despite this, I look back and to the sides and I am very confident in ourselves. We are sharp, well-prepared, and have already been in this area several times. I’m trying to imagine the upcoming hours. To lead this thing, to be first in the most complex part – this is exactly what you taught me to do. And when the thoughts slightly escape, about why we are doing this and why now, I think about it, and suddenly the answer is very clear to me. To fight for this land, to lead this unit, it’s not a supreme heroism – it’s standard. And if I had to sculpt my life anew, I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you.”