Iris Haim, the mother of Yotam Haim, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists and accidentally killed by IDF soldiers in Gaza, tearfully spoke at the state memorial ceremony for the civilian victims of the October 7th Massacre on Sunday about her intense longing for her son.
"Yotam wrote in the family (messaging) group: 'Mom, it's a matter of minutes, they are already here and they will probably kill me. I just hope I'll survive. If I don't survive - know that I love you," she recounted.
She continued: "The time 10:44 will always be remembered as the final time we received a sign of life from Yotam. "I didn't get a kiss or a ginger wink accompanied by a shy smile.
"I feel that one of the things that console me is the fact that I'm not alone. I live within my people. A people that still mourns and still fights for its life and cries for its dead and prays for the return of its hostages. In this journey, we discovered brave heroes, in uniform and out. The beautiful nation of Israel constantly chooses not to give up. They wanted to murder our children and they did it, but they can't murder our soul," the mother added.
She shared: "I feel the pain of the hostages' families and the pain of the many Israelis and I pray and beg that their deaths won't be in vain.
"The cursed Hamas and its murderous emissaries did not check if my son keeps the Sabbath or who I voted for in the elections. They didn't differentiate between an Israeli Jew and an Israeli Arab. People from the entire diverse mosaic that makes up our society," she concluded.