Ahead of Israel\u2019s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, a moving gathering was held with IDF servicemen and women who lost loved ones during the “Swords of Iron” War.
\nThe IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, met with the soldiers and expressed deep appreciation for their commitment to return to service despite their personal loss.<\/p>\n
“Your ability to summon your strength, to rise, to continue, to put on the uniform and serve the country\u2014that is something truly awe-inspiring,” said Zamir. “You symbolize, in my eyes, the spirit and strength of this nation.”<\/p>\n
“This is True Strength” “You carry your story with you\u2014that is true strength,” the Chief of Staff added. “It is not something to be taken for granted, and it shows what it means to be a fighter, even in the hardest times.”<\/p>\n Netanyahu “If They Hadn\u2019t Done It, We Wouldn\u2019t Be Here” “I want to tell you, especially the little children\u2014you have a father. Maybe not in body, but in heart. Living in the heart\u2014that\u2019s what remains, and that\u2019s what you must hold onto,” he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The IDF Chief of Staff praised IDF servicemen and women who lost loved ones and chose to return to serve: “Your ability to gather strength is inspiring:” Prime Minister Netanyahu also met with widows and orphans and expressed solidarity: “Living in the heart\u2014that’s what remains.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":21299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,88,6],"tags":[2210,4952,2626,1749,4954,2790,1480,2000,4955,4953,2633,1746],"class_list":["post-21297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-idf","category-will-remember","category-security","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-bereaved-soldiers","tag-eyal-zamir","tag-fallen-soldiers","tag-families-of-the-fallen","tag-idf-chief-of-staff","tag-israel","tag-memorial-day","tag-military-remembrance","tag-operation-entebbe","tag-prime-minister","tag-swords-of-iron-war"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>Among those participating in the meeting were Major Dafna Shakuri, widow of Major David Shakuri z\u201dl; Second Lieutenant A., son of Warrant Officer (Res.) Gil Boyum z\u201dl and brother of Inbar Boyum z\u201dl; and Private A., brother of Captain Oshri Moshe Butzhak z\u201dl.
\nEach shared their personal story and their decision to continue wearing the uniform out of a sense of mission and purpose.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara also met with widows and orphans of IDF soldiers.
\nNetanyahu, who lost his brother Yoni z\u201dl during Operation Entebbe, said:
\n“They loved this country and wanted us to live here, and that\u2019s why they did everything they did. If they hadn\u2019t done it\u2014we wouldn\u2019t be here,” he said.<\/p>\n