Israel-Gaza war: Left family to protect Israel : Who was Rose Lubin, killed in Hamas attack?

Israel-Gaza war: Rose Lubin left her family four years ago and settled in Israel. She joined the Israel Defense Forces last year, worked as a soldier, and was killed in an attack in East Jerusalem on Monday. Her friends and commanders said about her that she was a true hero. She is the third female fighter to be martyred in the battle against terrorists in the Holy City, after Lieutenant Hadar Cohen (in February 2016) and Colonel Hadas Malka (in June 2017).

Rose Lubin attacked with a knife

A 16-year-old terrorist from Issawiya attacked Rose with a knife while she was on a mission with two other fighters who were guarding Shalem Station near the Flower Gate. She was seriously injured in the attack and succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.

Rose lived in Kibbutz Saad in Otaf and was at home on the morning of October 7. As the terrorists advanced, she along with members of the standby squad moved towards the entrance with weapons to protect it, which was locked. She lived alone in the Kibbutz. She joined the standby unit with weapons and guarded the entrance so that terrorists could not enter. Lt. Col. Dor Biton, commander of the Lavi company, said she was of great help when she went to a nearby Kibbutzim to retrieve and secure the ambulance.

The company commander said, “We were in constant touch with her throughout that Saturday and she told us that she was ready for action with weapons. She told about the horrors she had seen, but this did not diminish her courage. We tried to make it easy for her and decided to give her rest, but she did not give up and on the very first day asked if she wanted to be a part of the operation.”

Who was Rose?

In 2019, Rose left her home in Georgia, USA. Said goodbye to her parents and four younger siblings and went to Israel alone. She studied at the Jewish Agency’s Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu and joined the IDF in January 2022. The feeling for Israel burned inside her. She said that no difficulty broke her. What she was interested in was leading missions and operations. She completed a fitness instructor course and trained police officers and her friends at the company.

Paying tribute on Facebook, her relative wrote: “My cousin Rose was a sweet soul with an amazing voice. She left a comfortable life in Atlanta to join the IDF. She is our hero, we are all shocked.” She shared a video of another relative who had photographed her in Jerusalem last Friday. “This is our special soldier,” cousin Dove said, and Rose replied, “I love everyone, thank you for the support.”