The mother of an Israeli hostage who was killed by IDF fire in the Gaza Strip appealed to IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Tuesday, calling him to reverse the dismissal of two IDF officers implicated in the killing of seven foreign aid workers in Deir al-Balah earlier this month.
In her letter, Iris Haim, whose son Yotam Haim was abducted to Gaza on October 7 and inadvertently killed by IDF forces along with hostages Samer Talalka and Alon Shamriz on December 15, took issue with their dismissal following the killing of World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers when the officers involved in her son's killing got off scot-free.
"This letter is not to appeal your professional decision. I am writing from the bottom of my heart about what the decision makes me feel as a mother," she wrote.
Despite their personal grief, Haim reiterated her family's support for the troops, the army and the commanders and that they didn't demand anyone be dismissed, understanding that mistakes and collateral damage happen in war.
She noted the disparity in how her son and the other hostages' deaths were treated compared to the aid workers', suggesting it implied Israeli lives were valued less.
"When foreign civilians are accidentally killed by IDF forces, the world cries out, including Poland's prime minister. Yotam, my son, also held Polish citizenship. It's interesting that the Polish citizen named Yotam Haim didn't really interest the Polish prime minister," she wrote.
"We didn't hear him share in our grief for a Polish citizen who was kidnapped and killed. He certainly didn't approach you to condemn the killing, right? Is my son's blood less valuable than that of foreign citizens? That seems to be implied by your decision."
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IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy speaking to the press
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
"How can we continue to live here with this kind of message? How do you think I feel now? Me and my entire family?" Haim further wrote, emphasizing her family's faith in the army's ethical decisions and commitment to the country and the hostages.
Haim pressed Halevi to reinstate the dismissed officers and build up the military. "Mistakes happen in war, and the costs they bear are already insurmountable," she concluded.