On October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas terrorists breached the southern border, the 33-year-old officer did not wait for formal mobilization orders.
By Hezy Laing
Lieutenant Colonel Salman Habaka z”l stands as an enduring symbol of courage and cross-communal solidarity in Israel’s modern history. Born in August 1990 in the Northern District Druze village of Yanuh-Jat, Habaka joined the Armored Corps of the IDF in 2009.
Over a dedicated fourteen-year military career, he rose to become the Commander of the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion.
On October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas terrorists breached the southern border, the 33-year-old officer did not wait for formal mobilization orders.
Recognizing the unfolding catastrophe, Habaka immediately drove south from his home in Galilee.
He took charge of a tank and drove it directly over paved civilian roads to reach the besieged communities.
Upon entering Kibbutz Be’eri, an area where roughly ten percent of the residents were slaughtered, Habaka found a scene of severe organizational chaos.
He quickly coordinated with Brigadier General Barak Hiram to systematically neutralize threats.
For 48 hours, Habaka and his armored unit fought from house to house, killing dozens of terrorists and successfully liberating trapped civilians.
His timely presence provided vital reinforcement to the embattled Golani Brigade infantry forces and saved countless lives.
Following the containment of the initial border breaches, Habaka led his battalion deep into the subsequent ground operations inside the Gaza Strip.
Tragically, on November 2, 2023, Lieutenant Colonel Habaka was killed in action during a fierce clash with Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza.
He was killed while rushing his tank forward to rescue a surrounded infantry unit
At the time of his death, he was the 18th IDF fatality and the highest-ranking officer to fall since the ground offensive began.
The heroic legacy of Salman Habaka is deeply intertwined with his identity as a proud member of Israel’s Druze minority.
He leaves behind his wife Arin, his two-year-old son Imad, his parents, and five siblings.
His supreme sacrifice is commemorated at his home village alongside other Druze heroes like Lieutenant Colonel Alim Saad Abdallah, reinforcing the “covenant of blood” shared between the Druze community and the State of Israel.
