Sgt. First Class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk, 23, a squad commander in the 261st Brigade’s 8208th Battalion, from Mevo Beitar was among the 21 soldiers killed in the deadly blast in Gaza this morning.
Kapeluk was the son of Ronen and Sarah (Biton) Kapeluk.
A graduate of Boyer High School in Jerusalem, he was described as the “salt of the earth” by a former neighbor and friend of Kapeluk’s mother, Sarah, in the Ir Ganim neighborhood where the family lived previously.
“What can you say about a boy who was a member of the scouts and was always with his grandmother?” said the neighbor, who asked that her name not be used. “He was a wonderful boy, who liked to help, who came from a wonderful family. Sarah was always helping and volunteering with the family.”
Kapeluk had been fighting almost non-stop in Gaza since he was drafted into the reserves on Oct. 7.
In a statement, Boyer High School called Kapeluk a “real man, a sharp mind, a true friend, a loving and supportive brother, and son.”
“Hadar loved life and made big plans for the future. In his short life, he had many experiences,” the school said in the statement, noting that Kapeluk was a classmate of the late Roi Nahari, who fell on Oct. 7, and a classmate of the late Amit David, who was murdered at the Nova festival. “The entire Boyar community is in mourning. May his memory be blessed."
Kapeluk served as one of the security personnel at the Israeli embassy in India and in a Facebook post the embassy called his death a “personal loss” for everybody at the embassy.
“Hadar had a deep love for traveling, and exploring the world and held a special affection for India,” the embassy wrote.
Kapeluk was buried at Mt. Herzl military cemetery.