İsmail Kefal went to the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge on the night of the July 15th coup attempt and livestreamed the attacks on the bridge. He was martyred after the tank he climbed on hit him. İsmail went to resist the coup attempt with his friends without waiting for the call of President Erdoğan. He started livestreaming the events on the bridge after he arrived at the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge with his friends.
Unfortunately, İsmail was caught in the crossfire on the bridge. He climbed on one of the tanks to try and attempt to stop it from running over citizens. The soldier who was operating the tank turned the barrel on the tank when Kefal climbed on. İsmail managed to stay on top by holding onto the communication antenna. However, he wasn’t able to stop the barrel that hit him on the side of his head. He was then only able to walk 200-300 meters after the impact to his head, he then collapsed and was unable to continue walking.
His family received the news around 2:30 in the morning. On july 16th, Kefal was buried next to his father Murat Kefal, who passed away in 2001, in the Tirebolu district of Giresun where he wished to be buried.
He dedicated his life to his mother
İsmail was 32 years old and grew up in Giresun. He started working as a waiter in a hotel after coming to Istanbul at the age of 21. Losing his father in 2001, he was trying to provide for his mother and sister. İsmail’s mother said she is proud of her son and added, “There are no words left. I hope nobody experiences this pain. This is my test. I only had a son. May our country survive. He died defending his country. If I had another son, I would sacrifice him for my country as well.”
The name Martyr İsmail Kefal was given to an Anatolian imam hatip high school in his hometown of Giresun.