The Last Photo Exhibition Honors Fallen Iron Swords Heroes in Tel Aviv
An exhibition titled 'The Last Photo' opens at the Yehudit Light Rail station, honoring fallen soldiers of Operation 'Iron Swords' through their final joyful moments captured before death.
Three years after the October 7 massacre, a new public exhibition titled "The Last Photo" is set to open, showcasing the final images and personal stories of fallen heroes from Operation "Iron Swords".
Remembering the Fallen
Based on the digital initiative founded in memory of Staff Sergeant Amit Regev, the exhibition displays photographs and videos chosen by grieving families. These snapshots capture the everyday, joyful moments of soldiers and security personnel before they fell in combat. The project, a collaboration between Israel Hayom and the OneFamily association, has garnered over 10 million views across digital platforms since its launch in 2025.
The exhibition will run from Sunday through October 10 at the Yehudit Light Rail station in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, bringing 22 poignant portraits out of the digital space and into the daily commute of thousands of citizens. Concurrently, the project is being featured on YES television screens and supported by the Scout movement.
The Story of Itamar
Among the soldiers commemorated is Staff Sergeant Itamar Bruchim, a paratrooper and logistics sergeant who fell in Sderot on October 8. Before his death, he sent a final photo to his family from a building lobby to reassure them that he was safe.
His sister, Inbal Bruchim, shared the emotional weight of that final communication:
On October 7, Itamar was with his partner in Kfar Saba. When the attack began, we sat in a safe room in Ashdod. He called and told me to prepare his military gear. He came home briefly, ate a few bites, and said goodbye before heading to the paratroopers' training base and onward to Sderot to fight terrorists.
Aside from honoring his memory through the exhibition, the family established a lookout point with fitness equipment in Ashdod, reflecting Itamar's passion for physical training, youth leadership, and rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities.
Preserving Life Over Loss
Liron Ben Yaakov, who initiated the project following the loss of Amit Regev—a tank corps soldier killed in Gaza in September 2025—emphasized the importance of shifting the public focus from the moment of death to the vitality of life.
"Within our grief, we realized that public memory often fixates on how a person died, whereas families want them remembered for how they lived," Ben Yaakov stated. "Behind every name and photograph lies an entire world of life."
Moshe Saville, CEO of the OneFamily association, added that transitioning the project to the public sphere allows thousands of commuters to pause, reflect, and connect with the human stories behind the fallen heroes.
