To his family, Lt. Col. Mahmoud Khairaldeen was a gentle man who always had time to listen, offer advice, and help those around him. To the Israeli public, he was known only as “Lt. Col. M.” Eight years after he was killed during a covert operation in the Gaza Strip, the man behind the initials is finally being remembered for more than the secrecy that surrounded his life and death: for the quiet devotion he showed to his family, his