Last week, a surprise blizzard that caused avalanches in Nepal’s Annapurna hiking circuit claimed the lives of 43 hikers and guides, including four Israelis: Tamar Ariel, Agam Luria, Nadav Shoham, and Michal Cherkasky.

Two of the four, Ariel (25) and Luria (23), had recent connections to the IDF. Ariel was a navigator with the Israeli Air Force and was active during Operation Protective Edge. She was in Nepal for some downtime after fighting in the 50-day war. Luria was on his post-army trek, having recently finished his mandatory service.

Ariel had the esteemed honor of being the IAF’s first female religious combat navigator, having volunteered for a flight course after finishing two years of civilian national service.

Ariel hailed from the Masu’ot Yitzhak moshav, an agricultural community in southern Israel located near Ashdod and Ashkelon. In a past interview with Channel 10 TV, Ariel said that she had not intended to be a pilot or navigator when she was growing up.

“I never thought about a pilot training course, but I did want to serve in the military,” she explained. “I would have continued serving in the military even if I wasn’t in a pilot training course. I see it as a career, not a short-term experience.”

Friends and acquaintances described her as a modest woman who did not seek to be a spokeswoman for the religious community. She volunteered for an aircrew training course after two years of national civilian service, something which was very rare.

According to a recent report in Ha’aretz, early in her career, while Ariel was in her training course, she lost control of her plane and bailed out during her first solo flight. An inquiry at the time showed that she had followed all procedures properly. As a result of the accident she was injured and underwent physical therapy on her back. She overcame her injury and regained entrance back into the course, this time as a navigator.

Upon completing the course, she was posted to a combat squadron and served as a navigator for two years, including during the recent conflict with Gaza, for which she was supposed to receive a commendation. She was posthumously promoted to captain on Thursday, and buried in Masuot Yitzchak graveyard.

One of the surviving Israeli hikers, Eitan Idan, who was hiking with Ariel after the avalanche, divulged to Galei Yisrael radio during an interview on Monday about the last part of the treacherous trek that claimed the life of Ariel.

He said that she had expended her energy early on following the avalanche because she was assisting other hikers who were stuck in the snow. Pretty soon she could not walk herself.

“The whole time it was difficult for her, and she fought and even pressed on, far more than any other person would have continued, which showed just how strong she was,” he said.

An IDF source who is part of LIBI, the official fund of the IDF, spoke to Breaking Israel News about Tamar. The source said: “She was a rare person who embodied both the spirit of Judaism and the Zionist spirit together with undaunted bravery and a true love of the land of Israel. She served as an exemplary role model for all Israeli men and women. May her memory be blessed.”

Rabbi Tuly Weisz, director of Israel365, reflected on the tragedy that occurred in Nepal, especially the loss of such a role model such as Ariel.

“I remember when she was inducted into the army and it was a big deal since she was a proud, observant Jewish woman who served as a role model for future generations,” he told Breaking Israel News. “She is our modern day Deborah, following in the footsteps of the Biblical prophetess and warrior.”

“It is an especially difficult tragedy that we have lost such a precious soul in such an unnecessary tragedy.”

Nadav Shoham, who was also in Ariel and Idan’s group attempting to survive, was one of the two people who were forced to leave Ariel behind after she repeatedly collapsed in the snow for fear that they would die themselves. Shoham himself did not survive the calamity either, but died further down the trail as well.

The bodies of the four Israelis were found by the Nepalese army and rescue teams and returned to Israel. The funerals of Ariel and Luria took place on Tuesday in Israel. Shoham was laid to rest on Monday. Cherkasky’s body was recovered several days after the storm and her funeral date has not yet been announced as of the time of the writing of this article.

Among the other 43 people killed in Nepal were trekkers from Canada, India, Slovakia, Poland and Japan, as well as Nepalese hiking guides. Nepalese officials reported that they rescued 407 people so far from the avalanche, 226 of them foreigners and that rescue teams are still working to recover the bodies of more missing trekkers, who are at this point assumed to be dead.