October 7 · Personal story
Ziv Dado
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Mefalsim Junction, while travelling from Rehovot toward the Kissufim outpost.
Current outcome
Returned for burial · December 12, 2023
Killed on October 7, 2023; his body was recovered and identified on December 12, 2023, then buried in Holon on December 14.
01
A Golani career and a young family
Born and raised in Afula, Ziv lost his father when he was nine; his mother Janet died in March 2022. He enlisted in February 2006 in the Education and Youth Corps, then transferred to the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion after basic training. He served in the battalion for 18 years, moving from combat service into logistics leadership. KAN’s memorial calls him the battalion’s “beating heart” and recalls how he helped soldiers who struggled to adjust. He met Stav, a logistics officer in the same battalion, in 2012; they married in 2018. Their daughter Maya was born in May 2023.
02
From home toward the front
On October 7, Ziv left his home in Rehovot to join his forces at the Kissufim outpost. On the road, he photographed burned cars and sent the images to a soldier as a warning. Near Mefalsim Junction, he encountered attackers and was killed in an exchange of fire. His body was taken to Gaza after his death.
03
The body held after his death
For two weeks Ziv was listed as missing. The IDF later declared him dead, and a symbolic funeral without his body was held on October 25, 2023. His remains stayed in Gaza. On December 12, 2023, the IDF reported that his body had been recovered and identified by medical and rabbinical authorities; his family was notified. Ziv was buried at the military cemetery in Holon on December 14, 2023.
04
Recovery and burial
The IDF recovered Ziv’s body from Gaza and identified him on December 12, 2023; his family was notified. Two days later, on December 14, he was buried at the military cemetery in Holon. This was his burial after recovery, distinct from the symbolic funeral held without his body on October 25.
05
A helper remembered
Stav described Ziv as someone who was always first to help and who gave generously. Fellow soldiers remembered him as a trusted organizer who solved practical problems with modesty. KAN’s memorial page preserves accounts from colleagues about his steady support for soldiers who struggled to adjust and his willingness to answer calls when work needed attention. These memories show the care embedded in his daily logistics role.