Eitam Megini, 27, who was murdered Thursday night in a terror attack in Tel Aviv, proposed to his girlfriend Ayala Arad just less than one month ago, on the holiday of Purim.
The proposal took place at the Herzliya beach, where the couple had their first date. Immediately after their engagement, the two flew to Rome. After they returned to Israel, they began planning their wedding.
Eitam's grandfather, Hagai, burst into tears as he said, "He wanted to ask my advice about who to invite, but said, 'There's no pressure.' Eitan was a child like no other. He was always at the center of everything, he caused anyone looking at him to fall in love with him immediately. He was incredibly talented. In the army, he served in the submarines. He studied computers and neuroscience. Just about a month ago, on the Purim holiday, Eitam became engaged to his partner Ayala. I tried to reach him yesterday, and he did not answer."
Ayala's mother said, "This evening we were supposed to hold an engagement party that the cousins organized - at the home where we are now sitting shiva (mourning)."
She continued, "When he did not answer her a few times, it was clear that something horrible had happened, because their relationship was such that even if he was crawling on the floor he would find a way to tell her that he was okay."
"They were together for four years. Eitam was a very special person - one of those strong men who also knows how to feel. They had a special relationship. Ayala is in shock, she is crushed. He is our son in every way."
Gal, a childhood friend of both Eitam and Tomer Morad, who was also killed in the terror attack, told journalists, "Tomer told me about his new job. We were planning the Passover trip that we take every year, and he made sure to send us video clips so we could see where we would be. These are two people who loved life and were super family-oriented."
Alon, another friend of Eitam and Tomer, said, "Both of them were people who loved life. They were the glue, everyone surrounded them. They waited for everyone to join the bar. When we heard about the terror attack we tried to reach them in every way possible and they did not answer."