As part of a special set of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) interviews, Arutz Sheva visited Bat-Galim Sha'ar in her home in Talmon, a community in Samaria, to speak about the abduction and murder of her 16-year-old son Gilad and two other teens by Hamas terrorists in June.
Speaking last week before the elimination of the two terroristsMarwan Kawasmeh and Amar Abu Eisha in Hevron who committed the heinous crime, Sha'ar noted "we feel a big embrace from all of the Jewish (people) from all over the world, and we want to say thank you."
"Thank G-d the Jewish people continues to embrace us strongly," added Sha'ar. "We are moved by the strength of this togetherness and united destiny that the people of Israel feels; I think the war (in Gaza) strengthened this and caused a very special feeling that we feel to this day."
When asked about hearing the recording of the emergency phone call her son managed to make to the police minutes after being abducted, in which the fatal gunshots can be heard, Sha'ar revealed the ambiguity of the police response to the information, which indeed has since caused a shake-up in the force.
"They told us that there were gunshots but the assumption was that they were deterrent shots over their (the boys') heads, because they (the terrorists) told them 'get your heads down,'" said Sha'ar. "We wanted to believe it was just a deterrent, because otherwise why kidnap?"
Many have noted the incredible strength of will of the Sha'ar family, along with the families of Naftali Frenkel (16) and Eyal Yifrah (19), who were murdered along with Gilad, in turning their personal tragedy into a positive feeling of national unity.
"We want that what happened will continue with the feeling of achdut (unity), and if we want it to continue we have to work for this," said Sha'ar.
She concluded by describing her son, a serious boy who also liked to make jokes and enjoy life.