Riki Berkowitz, mother of Master Sergeant (res.) Eyal Berkowitz, who fell while rescuing bodies of hostages in Gaza, told Radio Kan Moreshet about the special personality and mission that embodies all Israelis in this tough time.
Berkowitz first praised Eyal, and said: "He was a very average kid. When he grew up, slowly we started seeing his personality. He had many skills. He played basketball, he was a talented artist. He developed on his own. He loved to read and learn. He joined the elite Sayeret Matkal unit and then moved to Maglan, where he completed his service."
She added: "After putting in a lot of effort, he was accepted to medical studies and was due to start his second year now. When the war broke out he enlisted and joined his team in Maglan. He was with Gal Eisenkot and they met there again."
About the battle in which her son and Eisenkot fell, she said: "In the previous operation, Gal and Eyal were always an iron pair at the back of the force, and both were killed by a charge. The mission they had in this incident was intelligence information about prisoners who were in a certain underground shaft. Thank God, we heard about another team that finished the mission a few days later."
She added: "I think we are all in one big operation, one big mission. In the home front we are involved in something big – the fact that we are supporting the heads of state, the combat soldiers, means that we are part of one big thing."
In response to the question of whether it is appropriate for the army to put soldiers at risk for the sake of recovering bodies, she said: "The army does not send soldiers to fetch bodies. They did everything with discretion. The mission was very clear and cautious. They did it many, many times without getting hurt, and sometimes it unfortunately ended otherwise. We believe that the considerations are calculated in advance, and we need to continue until we finish the task."
In conclusion, Berkowitz spoke about the friendship between Gal Eisenkot and her son: "This is really our story in the country. Really, really, the nation of Israel at the root of its existence. We see that the army has teams that are mixed, they go into battle together and everyone believes in the same common goal, which should light our way and we don't need to look for the differences, but to focus on the main points - which is the essence of the people of Israel. These guys gave their lives for the people and the country, so let's be worthy of their deaths. Let's remove the differences and disputes, and let everyone do good in their own box."