Salman Habaka

Salman Habaka (סלמאן חבקה; August 1990 – November 2, 2023) was an Israeli-Druze Lieutenant-Colonel in the Israeli Defense Forces, commander of the 53rd Battalion of the 188 Barak Brigade.

He hailed from the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat.

Salman studied at the "Acre Kzine Yam" in middle school and high school, before the military recruitment he spent a whole year at the "Kerem El" pre-military training school and in August 2009 he was recruited and started his military career in the Armored Corps.

From the beginning of his career, Salman's special qualities such as leadership and striving for excellence stood out, and very quickly he began to climb the ladder of military ranks as he held many significant positions in these years.

During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, he became known for his actions at Be'eri, the location of the Be'eri massacre of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel; he was one of the first soldiers to arrive in the area as the scope of Hamas' incursion was becoming known, having travelled in two tanks with a number of his soldiers to join a paratrooper contingent already at the location.

Upon the orders of lieutenant colonel Barrak Hiram, Habaka shelled houses before soldiers searched them for hostages.

On 2 November 2023, he was killed fighting in Gaza, during Israel's 2023 invasion of the Gaza strip.

A member of the Druze minority from Yanuh-Jat, In the years of his life, Salman had time to build his house, get married and start a family.

Salman was a loving family man and a very active individual in society who always contributed.

He left behind his parents, three brothers and two sisters, a wife and a two-year-old baby.