By Pesach Benson • March 22, 2026
Jerusalem, 22 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The man killed in a missile strike in Northern Israel’s Misgav Am this Sunday morning has been identified as Ofer Moskowitz, widely known in the Upper Galilee as “Pushko.” The 60-year-old kibbutz member, manager of avocado crops, and longtime community figure was killed when a rocket fired from Lebanon struck his vehicle, setting it ablaze.
Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency teams were called to the scene after a report of two vehicles on fire. No early warning sirens had sounded in the area. “We arrived and saw two vehicles burning,” said MDA paramedics Taysir Subah and Safa Abu Rafe. “During the firefighting operations, we identified a man in the driver’s seat. He showed no signs of life, and we were forced to declare him dead.”
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that they have begun investigating the incident. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the strike, calling it “a defense of Lebanon and its people.”
Known to most simply as “Pushko,” Moskowitz grew up in Kiryat Bialik and joined Misgav Am in 1983. A member of the kibbutz’s emergency team, he had endured decades of cross-border violence, including rocket attacks and fires, and was deeply embedded in the community he served.
“Pushko. A speaker, farmer, friend, symbol, and legacy for us all,” read a statement from the Misgav Am community. “Throughout the years, he was the prominent voice of all of us. We send our deepest condolences and a strong hug to his family and the entire Misgav Am community. The Galilee will never look the same without him. May his memory be blessed.”
Moskowitz is survived by three daughters and two grandchildren, one of whom was born last week. He had frequently spoken publicly about the challenges facing northern Israeli agriculture under threat of cross-border attacks. In interviews, he stressed the importance of maintaining farming operations even under fire and described the hazards of working along the security fence.
His death bring the death toll from Iranian and Hezbollah to 16. Another four women in the Palestinian Authority were killed by a cluster bomb in the Hebron area.
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