"Excellent fighters, dedicated to the mission and always volunteering to help," is how their commanders in the Southern Gaza Division would describe the four soldiers. The brothers Aaron, 24, and Daniel, 23, Angrita and their friends Yehezkel Yaffe, 24, and Andres Navero, 24, serve in the southern scanning unit of the Military Rabbinate Corps which is responsible for bringing fallen soldiers to burial in a Jewish cemetery.
The four young men immigrated to Israel six years ago from Colombia, leaving behind families and friends. Zionism ran through their veins and, after a year of studying at the yeshiva in Kochav Yaakov, they enlisted together and served as combat soldiers in the Kfir Brigade. After their release from the IDF, the four began working as security guards at the Jerusalem perimeter crossings, while simultaneously studying at the Hebrew University in the city.
Immediately after October, 2023, the four were drafted into the reserves and have since served more than 250 days each. At the beginning of the war, they took part in the operation to identify the victims in Kibbutz Be'eri, in IDF bases and in other kibbutzim and villages in the area, and later did the unimaginable inside Gaza, scanning, locating and collecting the bodies of the dead.
Aharon, Daniel and Andres share an apartment in the Ramat Sharet neighborhood of Jerusalem, while their friend Yehezkel, who recently married, lives with his wife, Deborah, in the nearby Givat Mordechai neighborhood.
"The State of Israel has always been our dream," Andres said. "Today, when we live here and fight for it, we are fulfilling our Zionist dream and that of our families. Despite the challenges, our friendship makes everything easier."
"We immigrated to Israel together, served together in the army, and now we fight together in the reserves," added Aharon and Daniel. "In the end, even if it's difficult, thanks to the holiness and uniqueness of Jerusalem, we feel at home here."
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The four are a few of the thousands of new olim who live in Jerusalem and enjoy the broad municipal support and a variety of benefits for reservists.
"It's a great pride and a huge privilege for us that these fighters live in Jerusalem," said Mayor Moshe Lion. "It's exciting that there are people who leave everything behind to give their lives for the people, the state, and Jerusalem."