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My son, Asaf, 17 years old and in the eleventh grade, was killed in a terrorist attack. On March 5, 2003, the suicide bomber Hamas exploded on the bus #37 in our hometown of Haifa. Seventeen men, women and children were killed – a pattern of schoolchildren returning home from the second day at school.
Although I was born and erected in IsraelI was shocked. I couldn’t understand what could make a person go his own life just to kill as many Jews as possible. I couldn’t understand the hatred that encouraged such an act. Determined to understand, I learned that the mother of a suicide bomber – who, according to Muslim customs, had to welcome the bereaved in black clothing and serve bitter coffee – instead of carrying normal clothes and sharing sweets. I was amazed at what this mother could hate my child more than she loved her.
Then I realized that we were facing a problem far deeper than we admit. If hatred is taught at home, enhanced in schools and celebrates in kindergartens – where children are dressed as suicide bombers and school appearances celebrate the murder of immigrants – then another circle of unchanged negotiations, such as those we have seen in the past, will not make changes.
The terrorist attack swings Israel; Three buses allegedly explode
Asaf Tzur, was killed in Hamas’s terrorist attack on March 5, 2003, when the suicide bomber blew up a bus to Haifa. Asaf was 17 years old. (Tzur family)
We are people looking for peace. We are ready to strive to compromise and achieve peace – but only with those who share that desire. Terrorist extremists are not partners seeking peace, but our complete destruction.
As a family, we wanted to continue our lives and find healing, although no parent can truly cure the loss of a child. A few years after the attack, we were fortunate to have another boy. Usually, parents bring their children to the world to give them their lives, joy and happiness. In our case, the baby we got is our life. He allowed us to focus on the positive aspects of life, even as we carried sadness beside them.
We joined the activities Familyan organization that supports the victims of terror and their families. We had to go back to work and live our lives as if we were “normal” people. You have to put on a “happy face” at work. You have to appear normally, even when something triggers the memory of your killed son and all you want is to find a quiet place to cry. But at meetings with family, withdrawal and excursions, we were surrounded by bereaved parents like us. We could share our thoughts and experiences without fear of judgment. We could be alone without worrying about how we looked at others. After the attack on October 7, we met with newfound families from our city to introduce them to the farmion and the support it provides.
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Buses carrying Palestinian security prisoners welcome a crowd after being released from the Israeli prison after an agreement on the termination of fire with Israel, in the city of the West coast of Ramallah, on Saturday, January 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Unfortunately, the family of bereaved people continues to grow. Even now, with The return of hostages Recorded on October 7, and later killed in Gaza, new families will need a huge support for the renewal of their lives.
Israel pays a high price to restore its abducted citizens – Dead or live. Many convicted terrorists are released in exchange. Among them is Ali Hasan Al-Ragbi, who was sentenced to 18 seats for his role in the attack in which he killed my son Asaf. Three other terrorists included in the same attack were published in 2011 as part of the free -abducted Soldier Gilad Shalita.
I completely oppose the release of terrorists. This is unfair, immoral and wrong. The weak Israel as a state and erodes our judicial system. The worse, more young people encourage to become terrorists, knowing that another job will always come. In the past, I fought against these editions. But this time I decided not to complain. The whole number of hostages, their age and the horror of what they have suffered for the demand of extraordinary measures.
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Asaph will take 11th grade when Hamas’s terrorist took his life to Haifa in Israel. (Tzur family)
Instead, I decide to fight for the future – to ensure that nothing like October 7 is never happened again. Israel must adopt a sharper policy against terror. No more retention, no more warnings, no more empty threats. We need to act differently than in the past if we want to be sure.
My son Asaf was killed. But I have three more sons and three grandchildren living in Israel. In the open grave of Asafa I swore I would do everything in my power to keep them – and that “Never again” He would apply, above all, to his family.
