Avigail, the mother of Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar who fell in the disaster in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip, told ynet that "Meir was a sensitive, charming young man who loved life. Always smiling and sweet. It was important for him to enlist in the 'Netzah Yehuda' battalion because he wanted to observe religious commandments - and also protect the country".