The parents of Li Mat, an IDF paratrooper who was killed in the Gaza Strip, are demanding that his gravestone be inscribed with the names of his siblings, and not only his mother and father’s names, as is customary in army cemeteries.
The Defense Ministry says that although the request does not comply with army guidelines, a special committee will convene in order to discuss the family’s plea.
Li Mat, 19, an IDF paratrooper killed during Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip (photo credit: IDF)
Mat’s mother, Smadar, tells Army Radio that inscribing the names of her son’s siblings would not challenge the cemetery’s uniformity.
“All we are asking is to add one small line to the headstone,” she says.
“They [Mat’s siblings] are part of our family, and they are tied to him just as much as we, the parents, are tied to him.”
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Tuesday, August 19, 2014
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