Smadar Lugasi on Thursday eulogized her only son Captain Elay Elisha Lugasi who was killed in battle in the Gaza Strip. The funeral took place in Rosh Pina in northern Israel, as sirens sounded across the region due to Hezbollah attacks.
"You loved the country. I wanted you to fight quietly and for you to do what you loved, but in the end, I brought you back in a coffin. I will love you forever my dear child," she lamented.
She continued: "How can I flourish without you, my only son? You were everything to me. You loved and cared for me so much.
"You are not here, but you will always be with us. Always. Always, when you would call me, my phone would play the song 'Mother's hero, you will always be the king of the world to me with the most perfect smile.' What a perfect smile you had. Look how many people came to part from you."
Smadar added: "Everyone who saw you fell in love with you. Anyone who saw you was enchanted by you. Rest in peace, my hero."
Later, she turned to Elay's girlfriend, Adi, and told her: "I promise that I will be here for you all the time, whatever you choose to do. With G-d's help, you will build your life, and will be by your side the entire time."