Iris Haim, the mother of hostage Yotam Haim who was tragically shot and killed by IDF troops in a case of mistaken identity in northern Gaza earlier this month, said she has no anger towards the military for the incident.
In a poignant interview with Channel 12, she shared her feelings of sorrow and shock, but not of anger.
“I was not angry for even a minute, neither was my husband. There was no anger at the IDF for even a moment. There was pain, sorrow, great pain… We were shocked,” Haim said.
Yotam Haim, along with Alon Shamriz and Samar Talalka, were mistakenly identified as threats and killed by IDF troops on December 15. The incident is currently under investigation by the IDF.
In a remarkable gesture of forgiveness, Haim recorded a message for the soldiers involved, expressing love and absolving them of blame. She recounted that she and her husband “cried together” with the soldiers during their shiva visit in the shiva. Haim described the soldiers as “sweet” young men who had thought they were confronting hostile figures, not realizing they were hostages.
The family has received numerous visits from military personnel and families of military members since the incident. Haim mentioned that she had learned about the low morale within the troops following the incident, which compelled her to release her message on December 20.
“Yotam was free, even if he did not return to Israel alive. He was free from Hamas’s captivity. In that way, he beat Hamas. It was important for me to say that to the soldiers,” she explained, highlighting a sense of victory in her son’s freedom from captivity.
“Hamas didn’t kill him — it gives us a sense of comfort.”
Last week, Mrs Haim released a public message to the soldiers.
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