Sergeant Rotem Yanai, 20, was laid to rest on Thursday afternoon at the Giv'at Ada Cemetery after she was killed a day earlier by a Hezbollah explosive FPV drone that struck the base where she served in northern Israel.
Yanai was a service conditions NCO in the 435th Battalion of the Givati Brigade. Her mother, Hilit, delivered a tearful eulogy. "Rotem, my girl, my one and only, the sun of my life. I don't know how to stand before this large crowd and try to part from you in a few sentences that would be able to capture the essence of your personality and values."
She added: "No one could prepare us for this unfathomable nightmare, to bury the most precious thing to us in the world." The mother recounted how, during her military service, Rotem refused to rest or take sick leave since she felt a responsibility to her comrades: "You told me, I have soldiers and friends, I can't."
Hilit read a passage that Rotem wrote on her birthday: "'Imush (Mommy),' who will call me Imush ever again? 'You are an inspiration, when I'm a mother, I want to be a mother like you.'" Hilit broke down and whispered, "Rotem, my daughter, you won't be a mother."
Yanai's father, Tal, eulogized: "Rotem, my dear and beloved daughter, I stand here shocked and refuse to believe. Where did you go?" Toward the end of his eulogy, he broke into tears and asked for forgiveness from his daughter: "I'm sorry I didn't manage to protect you."
Dor, Rotem's brother, parted from his sister: "Until yesterday, I was sad, and I blamed myself for not telling you how much I love you. You had something special. Your good heart, the way you caused everyone around you to feel loved."
Her grandmother, Tova, eulogized her: “I cannot believe I have to eulogize you, a pure girl with a great soul who only wanted to help. You were a pillar of strength and a loyal friend who, through your military service, sought to help all the soldiers under your care. Then, suddenly, that cursed drone came and targeted her, a pure girl who spread only light to her friends. She always cared for her parents and had a special bond with her brothers. The world has suffered an eternal loss."
Her commander, Capt. Noa Steiner said at the funeral: “She was my right hand. She fought for the soldiers like a lioness. You had a big heart, and like the broom plant, you too had stability and strength. Thank you for being like a little sister to me. I love you. Everyone needs a Yanai in their life."