Hazel Brief, the mother of Sergeant First Class Yona Betzalel Brief, who succumbed to his wounds over a year after being severely injured in combat on October 7, 2023, parted from her son at his funeral on Wednesday at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem.

"417 days ago, Yona, my sweet and dear child, you went to save our beautiful country and its citizens. You did not need to go. After your first serious injury in May 2023, you had a free pass. Technically, you did not need to return to the army, as you did," she opened.

She described the battle in which her son was wounded: "As you and your Duvdevan team heroically went house to house in Kfar Aza, your company commander Ben Bronshtein of blessed memory and close friend Amir Fisher of blessed memory fell after being shot. You heard Ben call out, he was hit, and you ran. We all know the outcome of that dash to save Ben and Amir.

"After fighting for the lives of Ben, Amir, and the residents of Kfar Aza, you, my sweet child, began the fight of your life in ICU A of Sheba Hospital, from room 4 to room 9 to room 11 to room 9 again. A few days at Ramabam Hospital, two months of treatment at the Asaf Harofe pressure chamber, and back to Sheba - room 9, then back to room 11, then finally a week out of the ICU, and then back to the ICU room 1, and finally return to room 11."

Hazel described her first morning without her son: "Today at 6 a.m. for the first time in 418 days I did not call the nurses station to get your blood test results. I did not worry if you had another fever or infection. I got up, I went to the kitchen that I had not been in for 418 days, and I tried to remember how to use the coffee machine."

Yona's mother described how the wounded soldier made the best out of his situation in the ICU, with the help of the medical staff with special food, activities, and visits from friends.

She also recounted his dedication to prayer: "After you first woke up in November of 2023, you asked for your tefillin (phylacteries). Praying was always something you always did, even later in the day, you would ask: 'What time is it, can I still put on tefillin?' When you had too many wires and bandages on you taught me how to wrap your tefillin. You always smiled as I never got it right and you had to wait for Dad to fix it.

"You wanted to pray, and you told me that when you read the words 'Tchiyat Hametim' (resurrection of the dead), that's how you felt. You arose from the dead time and time again."

Hazel noted the number of people who Yona inspired while fighting for his life: "Many women wrote me that they did 'Hafrashat Challah' (tithes from dough) for the first time. My colleagues at work started to light Shabbat candles, and the Tehillim (Psalms), oh the Tehillim. Your fight encouraged so many people to start saying Tehillim. Over 50,000 chapters were read for your recovery.

"My sweet Yona, from your ICU room, messages of hope, faith, and love for our precious country washed over our battered and exhausted nation. Yes, you, my love, became the focus of doing things to make this world better, to make our country just a bit better. Because everyone wanted Yona to win this battle and finally go on to rehabilitation. We were all in for you, dear Yona, and you were all in for Am Yisrael."

Later in her eulogy, the mother cried: "Yona, I ask for your forgiveness, I'm so sorry that I could not do more. That I could not find someone, somewhere in the world, who had the magic to cure your wounds and infections, to ease your pain and suffering. Please forgive me, I did my best."

She concluded: "Now, my sweet Yona, we will take your passion for pushing limits, zest, and optimism for life through the most challenging of times, and we will soldier on. We are a bruised and aching family, forever feeling that something's missing. But dear Yona, we are a strong family. Stronger now because of your fight.

"You're now free from the wires, the machines, the endless antibiotics, the pain, and the suffering. You have finally left the ICU."