Bereaved families visiting the military cemetery in Hadera on Sunday were devastated to find that painted and personalized memorial stones on their loved ones' graves had been removed and discarded in a pile outside the cemetery fence.
According to a report by Kan News, cleaners working on behalf of the Ministry of Defense were instructed to prepare the site for Memorial Day, but instead of clearing only debris, they removed decorated stones carrying emotional and personal significance. The act triggered outrage and sorrow among the families who arrived to honor their fallen.
Personnel from the Ministry of Defense were called to the scene after families discovered what had occurred. In an attempt to repair the damage, they began sorting through the discarded stones and contacting relatives to help identify those that belonged to specific graves.
Among the grieving were Liad and Nirit Baram, parents of Staff sergeant Neta Bar Am, who was killed in battle on October 7. "All the special stones—those painted and inscribed—were simply gone," Nirit said, visibly shaken. "I saw it wasn’t just our son’s grave. I saw it had happened to all of them. The stones were tossed like trash."
Liad Baram added: "It’s a deep emotional wound. I called our casualty officer in tears. So far, I’ve only managed to find one of the stones. Whether it was intentional or just negligence—it feels like a stab in the heart."
He continued: "These graves are sacred. They belong to our families. That’s all we have left."
The Defense Ministry has not yet issued a formal apology but is reportedly investigating the incident.