Hamdan, Nasser

Son of a nun and Zeydan. Was born on 2.6.1967 in the Druze village of Usfiya, the second son of a family of six children. Nasser studied at the elementary school in Usfiya and at the ORT high school in a scientific track. In the short period before his enlistment in the IDF, Nasser went to work to help support the family, and it was important to receive the status of a religious Druze before enlisting in the IDF. He took the exams, stood in all of them, and was recognized as a religious Druze. In the middle of February 1987, Nasser was drafted into a compulsory military service, and he was asked to volunteer for the Shayetet and was sent to the engineering corps and was assigned to serve in one of the combat battalions of the Engineering Corps. After a period in the battalion, Nasser was sent to continue his combat training in a course for infantry commanders. According to his classmates, Nasser was a good soldier, disciplined, who invested a lot in training and studying the material that was learned in the course. His friends noted that he was a sensitive, introverted guy with a developed sense of justice and hope for the future. Nasser was engaged and was about to marry his choice. On 19 May 1988, Nasser fell during his service. He was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery in Isfiya. Survived by his parents, two brothers – Yosef and Mofid, and three sisters – Merham, Gosin and Munira. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, the unit commander wrote: “Nasser’s death interrupted the course of command in which he began to march as part of a course for commanders. At this stage, we saw a first step towards its design and training as a commander. He was to continue his course in the officers’ course and be commander of young fighters … “