Mother of Fallen Officer Calls for Truth and Unity Ahead of Oct. 7 Anniversary

As the third anniversary of the October 7th massacre approaches, Klara Hemami, mother of the late Colonel Assaf Hemami, has penned a poignant letter to her son. Colonel Hemami, who commanded the Gaza Division, fell in battle and his body was taken to Gaza. His mother's letter revisits the harrowing early hours of that day, the final moments of his life, and the three years that have passed since. Amidst her grief, she is calling for the establishment of an independent and professional investigative committee that will garner broad public trust, and for the restoration of constructive discourse within Israeli society.

Hemami recounted listening to her son's communications in the initial hours of the Hamas attack, hearing his urgent commands to mobilize reserve units and military equipment, recognizing the gravity of the situation as a declaration of war. She vividly imagined his departure from the base with his staff, Tomer Ahimas and Kiril Brodsky, to confront the overwhelming enemy forces, a battle where "few were against many."

Colonel Hemami fell on October 7th alongside Ahimas and Brodsky, his body subsequently abducted to Gaza. After 758 days, his remains were returned to Israel in November of the previous year and he was laid to rest. His mother expressed the profound pain of not being present in his final moments, unable to offer comfort. She continues to grapple with unanswered questions about his thoughts and feelings in his last moments, wondering if he thought of his parents, his brother Eitan, his wife, and his children Ella, Alon, and Arbel, particularly Alon, who had been with him at the base just hours earlier.

The letter then shifts from personal loss to a broader societal call. Hemami emphasizes the need for truth, not a partisan truth, but the truth of the nation. She urged an end to the disputes over the name of the investigative committee, stressing that its designation is less important than its function: to be an independent, professional, and trusted body. She demands a comprehensive investigation that will address who knew what, who failed to listen, what went wrong, and who bore responsibility, with the ultimate goal of preventing such a tragedy from recurring. "Without truth, there is no correction. And without correction, the wound remains open," she wrote.

She also called for a fundamental change in public discourse, advocating for listening to one another, debating without hatred, criticizing without humiliation, and disagreeing without tearing the nation apart. Hemami believes this is part of her son's legacy, who she described as someone who believed in people and always sought to help others. She concluded by stating that while her son is no longer physically present, his spirit and influence endure, and she continues to feel his presence daily, promising him, "Mom is here. As I always was. And you will always be here with us, because there is no love in the world like a mother's love."