Haim has repeatedly insisted that she does not blame the soldiers who mistakenly identified her son as a threat. But she said it was devastating to know how close she had come to being reunited with the 28-year-old.
"Yotam was actually so close to coming back home," Haim said in an interview in Jerusalem.
"It could ruin me but I've decided that I don't want to think about this last moment. I don't want to think: 'What if?' Because if I think: 'What if, it will be very difficult to continue. I will stay in the past, and Yotam will not come back. So I want to forget the last moment. And I can do it. I can. I don't think about this. I just think about his bravery."
Yotam was abducted from the Kfar Aza kibbutz, along with Alon Shamriz, 26, while Samer El-Talalqa, 24, was taken from the Nir Am kibbutz during Hamas's 7 October attack.
The trio were killed in the Shejaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City on 15 December after being mistakenly identified by the IDF as terrorists, despite being shirtless and waving a makeshift white flag.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin February 17, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin February 17, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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