Iris Haim, the mother of the hostage Yotam who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and killed in a tragic incident by IDF forces, was interviewed by Channel 14 and said that she has not fasted all her life, but this year she will fast on October 7.
She stated: "I decided that the only day of the year on which I will fast is the October 7. I have never fasted in my life, neither on Yom Kippur nor on any fast, but this is truly a day as a mother, and as someone whose son was kidnapped and then killed, I feel this day is one of the greatest disasters that has ever happened to us."
Haim also referred to the official October 7 ceremony: "I need statehood today, I was a non-state person before, but today especially when the whole split started with a headquarters for the families of the abductees and then the state... so I need my country to be strong and a strong country is made of strong citizens who support the country; we have rituals and symbols and traditions that should be directed by the state."