Israeli police officer First Sergeant Igor Pivnev, aged 32 from Yated in southern Israel, took his own life on Tuesday.
Pivnev served in the police and was known for eliminating 13 terrorists during the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th, 2023.
On the morning of the massacre, Pivnev was stationed in Hebron. When he heard about the attack, he decided to return to his home in Yated. On his way, he fought terrorists in several locations, eliminated 13 of them, and after reuniting with his wife and daughters, went out again and joined the local security response team.
Three months ago, his wife, Chani Leiderman-Pivnev, wrote a heartwrenching post about soldiers and police officers who are suffering mentally: "If there are people around you are have been sinking since that Saturday, turn the world on its head so that they can get the proper professional help and treatment. Don't try to save them alone, you can't, and things will just get worse. Fight the feelings of guilt - it's not your fault."
In an interview with the Police Spokesperson last year, Igor recounted the fighting: "The scenario in my head was that I would get home and see a lifeless house, but I put fear aside. From Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, I headed home, but I saw terrorists walking toward the kibbutz cowshed. Then a shootout began, lasting a few minutes. On the way from the police station to my community, I saw a suspicious white vehicle and stopped on the side of the road. I identified terrorists, I shot at them, and eliminated them.
"We had drills for situations like these, but I never believed that we would confront so many terrorists. When I heard about what happened in Kibbutz Be'eri, I imagined how I'd be left without a wife and children, but I remained optimistic the entire time."