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"If bringing home living people is possible, life must take precedence over death," says Tzila Pikholtz, mother of the Staff Sergeant Yaron Pikholtz, who was killed while serving in the IDF in 2001 and whose murderers are among those being released in the hostage exchange deal.
Did the state inform you about the imminent release of your son's murderers?
"No. My daughter Chen's friend called her on Saturday at 8 a.m. and said there was a list of Hamas prisoners being released on Ynet, and that Yaron's murderers were on the list. We immediately got organized and drove to my other daughter, Ayala, who is religious, because we didn’t know how she would react and wanted her to hear it from us. Only on Saturday night did the casualty officer call us. It’s outrageous that we had to find this out through the media."
How did you feel when you first heard the news?
"Accelerated heartbeat, trembling and immense pain. It dragged us backward, as if we were reliving the day Yaron was murdered. But, to be honest, this past year has already brought us back to those moments. We experience every 'cleared for publication' personally, because we know what awaits those families. I was moved to see the girls who were released. They were born after Yaron was killed, and if he were alive, he would have blessed this deal and embraced them."
What is your opinion on the deal?
"If bringing home living people is possible, life must take precedence over death. We can't bring Yaron back, and, overall, these vile murderers have already served quite a long time – 21 years. Of course, there’s the fear they’ll return to terrorism and kill again, but the hostages are people who need to be saved. I was deeply moved to see the girls who were freed in the last two weeks. They were born after Yaron was killed – young girls with pure hearts who had just joined the army and didn’t know anything yet about life. If Yaron were alive, he would have blessed this deal and hugged them."
How did Yaron die?
"Yaron was a squad commander in the Engineering Corps, and was killed on November 29, 2001, during an encounter with an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell near Baqa al-Sharqiyya. The terrorists arrived at a checkpoint in a car with Israeli license plates. Yaron approached to inspect them and was shot at close range. He was airlifted to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center but died of his wounds en route. He was 20 years and nine months old."
When were the attackers caught?
"One of them was killed during operational activity. The other two, Jasser Radad and Basel Makhlouf, from the Tulkarm area, were caught two and a half months later. During the operation to capture them, Lt. Col. Eyal Weiss, from the Duvdevan Unit, was killed."
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How did you learn of Yaron's death?
"I was at an art class, and at the exact moment he was killed, all my yellow paint – his favorite color because he was a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan – spilled. I went home with a beautiful painting, feeling euphoric, with no bad feelings at all. That morning, he had returned to base after a weekend at home. At 4 p.m., he called to tell me that the soldiers loved the cookies I had baked for him and sent their thanks. I was so happy because he sounded happy, and it was such a good conversation. I had no idea that within an hour and a half, he would no longer be alive."
Did you follow the trial of his murderers?
"No. We were shattered and didn’t engage with it. It was a coping mechanism. I had two young daughters at home, and I wanted so badly to rebuild our lives and keep going that I chose not to invest energy in it."
Even now, you choose to work rather than retire.
"I’m a social worker by trade, and even though I’m of retirement age, I still work in elder care. In recent years, I’ve studied group facilitation and now volunteer by leading groups of bereaved mothers. A few years ago, my husband Amos and I established a memorial project for Yaron, where we distribute teddy bears to children with special needs. Over the years, we’ve donated thousands of teddy bears, and now we’re starting to give them to new war orphans. Sadly, there are far too many this past year."
Who funds this initiative?
"It’s our own money. Amos said that as long as we’re working and have the means, we’ll continue memorializing Yaron, so as many people as possible can come to know him."