Liat, the mother of Staff sergeant Noam Hamburger, of blessed memory, who was killed yesterday in an explosive drone blast on the Lebanon border, was interviewed this morning (Sunday) on Kan Reshet Bet and shared the difficult emotions and deep pain gripping the family following the sudden loss.
“We have woken up to a nightmare. Our hearts are burning," she said. “No one believes something like this can happen. He enlisted into a war. He spent almost two and a half years in Gaza. He fought and was proud. Recently they moved north, and like every mother in Israel, every time he went in, our hearts pounded with fear."
She added that this time, the family had actually felt more at ease because he was on base, and such a tragic scenario never crossed their minds.
“We were calmer because he was on base, and we never imagined something this terrible. It has truly broken our hearts, and the sadness is beyond words. And then, in an instant, after 23 years of raising a child, suddenly he is gone."
Speaking about her final contact with her son, she said: “We spoke with him the day before and arranged that we would come to see him over the holiday at the Biranit outpost, and we said we’d bring the guys Shavuot foods that Noam loved so much. I called him on video - like I always did, because we were missing him so much. He was a child with so much presence and charisma. He didn’t answer, and that was suspicious. I started calling and he didn’t answer. I started texting and he didn’t answer. Then the news came."
According to Liat, Noam loved his military role repairing tanks. “He loved it very much. On the one hand, he wasn’t in a combat role, but on the other hand, he truly loved everything he did. He loved knowing that because of his electronics skills and his gifted hands, he was helping and supporting the fighting by fixing tanks."
She described the nature of his service: “The work was very hard. To think that they were constantly calling him to go into Lebanon, come out of Lebanon, be inside Gaza, come out of Gaza, repairing under missile fire. He would tell me, while under fire, that he was getting into a tank and helping our guys move forward. Every time I heard those stories, my heart would shrink with fear, while his eyes would light up with happiness and joy that he was contributing. That was his pride."
Concluding, she said of Noam: “Noam truly lived up to his name - he was simply Noam [meaning 'pleasant, good natured']. A good boy, kind-hearted, a good friend, a devoted son who was his mother’s child. I never heard the word ‘no’ from him. A smart boy, so wise. I looked at him with admiration - he knew how to overcome every obstacle in life with a smile. I would panic on the side, and he would tell me, ‘Mom, let me, this is mine.’ And he achieved everything."
She added: “He was the best teacher I ever had in this life. Many times I wanted to intervene, I wanted to act, I wanted to say something, and he would tell me, ‘Mom, no, I'm doing it.’ And I listened to him. He taught me so many lessons in life, but this lesson - how to live without him now - that one I no longer know how to do. Someone needs to teach me how to do that."