Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah met with bereaved siblings through a ZOOM video conference yesterday ahead of Israel's Memorial Day.

The conversation was attended by Elisaf Peretz, who lost his two brothers Uriel Peretz and Eliraz Peretz, Ayelet Gomez who lost her brother Daniel Gomez, and Neta Balua who lost her brother Nadav Balua.

The prime minister told the bereaved families of how he deals with the loss of his brother Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed while leading a hostage rescue operation in Entebbe in 1976: "I will let you in on a secret. I devote time to this every day and there is no day when this does not happen and that I do not think about my brother Yoni. I remember him. I think about what he would say or do. Everyone who is in this circle, we are in the exact same circle and we must draw strength from it, not despair but strength. This is not easy because at the beginning there is only despair and gradually it can turn into strength and much hope."

The families discussed the pain they felt at losing their siblings and shared stories of their loved ones. They shared childhood memories, the moment they received word of their losses, and how they dealt with their bereavement.

Elifaz Peretz said that this year, with the restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus crisis, he was "spared" from his family's difficult dilemma in choosing which brother's grave they would visit on Memorial Day. Neta Balua shared her shared memories with her brother during their childhood and said that Nadav always serves as a guide for her in life.

Ayelet Gomez told of the moment when she learned of her brother's death and how woke her parents to tell them the bitter news, as well as the longing that accompanied her over the years.