Staff Sergeant Eden Alon Levy

Daughter of Inbar and Asher
Sister of Roy, Nofar, Shani and Tamir

Eden was born in Nirit, a rural community in southern HaSharon, and was the fourth daughter among five children. Her parents had served Israel’s security forces their entire lives, and had taught their children to love their nation and homeland.

Eden was a cheerful and kind girl who spread light and joy wherever she went. She was a gifted soul and a woman of natural and rare beauty. She stood out from a very young age, and distinguished herself in everything she did, but she always remained a humble, somewhat shy individual.

Eden had a passion for music, but her love for dancing overshadowed everything else. She was a member of a dance group until she reached 18 years of age. She performed all over Israel and at festivals abroad.
The link will show you her performance to a famous song by Keren Peles and Roni Alter (choreography: Tamar Dolev).

Before Eden joined the army, she began the process of trying to join the Air Force Pilots Course, but because she already had an enlistment date, she decided not to postpone it.
She joined the IDF on August 3, 2022 as a Rescue Team Soldier, and was later trained as a combat soldier and squad leader.
She continued to attend the Air Force Pilot screening process during her service. She was supposed to attend IAF pilot trials at the end of October 2023, after which she was slated for an officers course with the Rescue Unit. It was at that point that she would have to choose between becoming a pilot or an officer. She had a promising set of gifts, and all doors were open for her, but everything was ruined on October 7.

On Channel 11 (which broadcast a story about Eden’s heroism in the battle of Zikim Base), we can see a brief glimpse into her days as Platoon Commander. Her interactions with her soldiers illustrate the energy she exuded and her love and devotion to them.

On October 7, 2023 (Saturday morning), Eden was stationed at the guard post together with a trainee. When the terrorist attack began, Eden sent the trainee to the shelter. Eden and her staff members sent all of the trainees to the base’s shelters, and they conducted the battle against terrorists themselves. It was a fight between a few soldiers against a large number of terrorists, with the soldiers equipped with nothing but light arms, while facing a considerable amount of heavy arms used by the terrorists.

Eden and her team members courageously defended the base, and it was thanks to them that hundreds of trainees and civilians which stayed there at the time of the attack were saved. The base itself was not overrun or plundered.
Eden was killed in action with six other soldiers.

In a program that aired on Channel 11 on October 26, 2023, her sister (Nofar Alon Levy) spoke about the final messages exchanged between Eden’s family members and Eden on the day of her death. At 6:56 AM, Eden wrote the following message to her family: “I am at the guard post and I’m being shelled.” At 8:10 AM, Eden sent her last message: “I love you.”

Eden’s family takes comfort in the fact that she died bravely and heroically. She died in a heroic battle, fighting for the values she was raised on: defending her soldiers, defending her people, and defending her homeland.

Eden’s friends say that she was a great friend who always had their back in their time of need, and that she always encouraged her friends to soldier on. She could turn any difficult situation into a pleasant experience, and she always incorporated humor and jokes in how she and her friends coped with their challenges.

Her soldiers and commanders described her as a commander who exhibited quiet and powerful leadership, and whose remarkable presence was a testament to her striking personality. She made everyone around her feel a special connection, and they always strove to attain the goals that she presented to them.

Eden’s family described her as a “heroic and brave angel.” This is because she had a unique combination of strength, internal fortitude and powerful energy, alongside gracefulness, feminine qualities and sensitivity.

Eden loved purity, honesty, and beauty. She found them in her love for nature, the ocean, and animals. She was particularly fond of “Ace,” the family’s dog, and of small children. She worked at the local kindergarten to help care for them.
All of these were in stark contrast to hypocrisy and aggression, two things which she did not care for at all.

An Instagram page in Eden’s memory is available here.

The South Sharon Regional Council has posted the following after Eden’s death:

Staff Sergeant Eden Alon Levy Eden was born in Nirit and died in the line of duty while fighting against Hamas terrorists on Zikim Base on October 7, 2023. 19 years old upon her death. Eden served as a Rescue Unit soldier and Squad Leader on the Zikim Battalion Training Base [Home Front Command Corps]. Daughter of Asher and Inbar. Sister of Roy, Nofar, Shani and Tamir She graduated from Yarkon School and the “New Movement” youth movement. The story of her death is a story of courage. Eden fought on that black Saturday (October 7) – with courage and dedication – against terrorists who sought to infiltrate Zikim Base, and, together with her fellow soldiers, they fought the terrorists until they ran out of ammunition. Eden bravely and heroically sacrificed her life and saved the lives of trainees, civilians hiding on the base, and the members of Kibbutz Zikim. Six soldiers were killed during the attack, with Eden among them. Six others were seriously injured.

Eden was the type of Squad Leader that everyone wanted to talk to, even if they weren’t her soldiers, because she combined inner strength on the one hand, and a delicate and sensitive soul on the other. She was highly charismatic, and had an exceptional ability to listen to and help her soldiers. Everyone on the base loved Eden dearly. Eden began to attend Air Force Pilot Trials, and in the meantime she joined a combat unit just like she wanted. She was supposed to go to Pilot Field Trials on October 29 and begin an officers course. She was given special leave to attend both.

Eden always had a smile on her face and always made things better, no matter how hard they were. Eden was deeply connected to her family had an excellent relationship with her four brothers and sisters. Eden was a huge lover of animals, sometimes loving them more than humans because animals are honest and genuine. She also deeply loved children.

Eden was a gifted dancer, and she regularly performed with the South HaSharon Dance Troupe since she was eight years old. Her dancing group was the only place where she was willing to be in the spotlight. She preferred to keep a low profile and never stand out. She loved singing, attended voice training sessions, and regularly engaged in sports. She was a fitness instructor who loved to stay active. Eden loved music, and could sing in several languages.

Keren Peles invited Inbar – Eden’s mother – and Nofar (her sister) to a studio, where she sang “And Then You Came to Me” for Eden. Inbar was the one who chose the song. It later turned out that Eden performed to this song with a friend of hers, which is why she was especially moved by it.
“The city is silent,
the skies covered in darkness
leading up to the abyss
it was almost
the dusk of my life
but then you came to me,
and then you came to me.”

Keren’s performance of “And Then You Came to Me” is included in the “Shedding Tears for You” performance that was produced in Eden’s memory (link).

Eden’s image was immortalized on a backgammon board.

In memory of Eden and Roni Eshel – soldiers who fell in battle in the Iron Swords War, and graduates of Yarkon School – the school hosted an event on April 8, 2024 with Col. Nira Shepek, marking the six months anniversary of the Iron Swords War, focusing on female heroes.