Nir Popko, a 28-year-old civilian, was killed on Tuesday by a Hezbollah rocket strike in Kibbutz HaGoshrim in the Upper Galilee. The Lebanese terrorist organization fired about 10 rockets toward the Galilee, one of which exploded in the courtyard of a house in the kibbutz. Popko was critically injured by shrapnel, and Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics who arrived at the scene pronounced him dead after resuscitation efforts failed.
Nir's grandfather, Uri Dimand, mourned his loss in a Facebook post: "My grandson Nir, a huge part of my world, was killed by a Hezbollah missile here at his home, my home, in HaGoshrim. There is no consolation."
Zohar Lipkin, a resident of the kibbutz, told Ynet: "The kibbutz was evacuated; we're just over a mile from the border, but Nir stayed here to work in agriculture for a while, so he did not evacuate. We are currently focused on supporting the family. He has grandparents and a mother, and we need to strengthen them and our community." Reflecting on the situation, Zohar said: "It's terrible. We have had more than one hit within the kibbutz, and we are conducting searches because there were numerous alarms after the incident. There is significant damage to surrounding buildings. We have no response time here; as soon as there is an alarm, a rocket hits."
Despite the government's evacuation of the kibbutz, Zohar stated: "I stayed in HaGoshrim, and I will not move. Whoever decides to return, it's their call, and whoever stays outside, we will respect their decision. Our hearts are shattered now."
Erez Bergman, chairman of Kibbutz HaGoshrim, told Ynet: "Our hearts are with the family over this disaster and with the entire HaGoshrim community. Only a small part of the population has returned to live here, so we are dealing with various levels of response. The immediate level is to find a solution for the night for anyone affected, and also to seal the houses, etc., in coordination with the Property Tax Authority. We are still mapping, but it seems that 25 houses were damaged." He added: "There are about 170-180 people here out of approximately 1,400, including the defense department – meaning less than 20% of the kibbutz members have returned. Some families left following today's event. The immediate instinct after such an event is to pack up, especially families with children."
Giora Zaltz, head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, expressed the collective grief of the council's kibbutzim: "We mourn the death of Nir, who unfortunately joins the children who lost their lives in Majdal Shams on Saturday and the couple from Kibbutz Ortal." However, Zaltz emphasized that this incident is yet another episode of extensive rocket fire toward the Galilee, which he says has become an intolerable routine. "We have been experiencing daily missile, drone and anti-tank missile fire for 10 months now. The significant difference, unfortunately, is in the outcomes, but this is our reality here in the north – there are 200,000 residents who have remained in a war zone."
Against the backdrop of the attempted assassination of a senior Hezbollah official in Lebanon, Zaltz said: "The assassination, successful as it may be, once again puts the entire north on edge and stresses out many people. We must change the rules. With all due respect to the assassination, which is likely important, it is a small event within a larger context, and we need the Israeli government to set goals, set targets, and change the rules of the game here. The north is being lost."
The deadly incident occurred three days after 12 children and teenagers were killed by a Hezbollah rocket in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, amid threats from Israel of a response that had not yet materialized at that time. After Nir was killed and before the attempted assassination in Beirut, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona criticized the government's conduct and called for action: "Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Cabinet members – we have not yet recovered from the massacre in Majdal Shams, and instead of the other side being deterred underground in their tunnels and fearing for their lives, they still dare to fire at us, and we are absorbing it. Have you gone mad? What are you still waiting for? Is this how you restore deterrence to the north?"