Rachel Edri, whose son Staff Sgt. Yehonatan Edri fell in Gaza, told Channel 12, “We brought him to the draft office with trembling hands, but never with regret. He knew what he was defending.”

By Hezy Laing

Israel’s greatest heroes, some say, are not the soldiers who report for duty but the parents who bring their teenagers to the IDF recruitment office despite profound fears.

As of November 2026, the IDF reports that over 680 soldiers have fallen in combat since the war began, a figure that weighs heavily on every family approaching the draft age.

Israeli youth differ sharply from their Western peers in post‑high‑school plans.

According to the OECD 2025 Education Outlook, 72% of Israeli 18‑year‑olds enter military or national service immediately after graduation, compared to 8% in the United States, 4% in Canada, and 0% in most of Western Europe, where conscription has been abolished.

In Israel, only 14% of high‑school graduates begin university directly after twelfth grade, compared to 63% in the U.S. and 71% in the U.K.

This cultural reality means that Israeli parents must confront fears that most Western parents never face.

Despite the risks, many bereaved parents have spoken publicly about courage and conviction.

Rachel Edri, whose son Staff Sgt. Yehonatan Edri fell in Gaza, told Channel 12, “We brought him to the draft office with trembling hands, but never with regret. He knew what he was defending.”

Avi and Ilana Shani, parents of Lt. Daniel Shani, said after his death in Khan Yunis, “We feared for him every day, but we never wished him to be anywhere else. This is our home.”

These statements echo hundreds of similar testimonies published by Ynet, Maariv, and Israel Hayom, where parents describe pride mixed with dread, and grief intertwined with unwavering commitment.

Anecdotes from across Israel illustrate this ethos. In Be’er Sheva, a mother reportedly drove her son to the recruitment base while reciting Tehillim the entire way.

In Haifa, a father walked beside his daughter in uniform, telling reporters, “My heart is breaking, but my faith is strong.”

In Jerusalem, parents gathered outside the Bakum induction center handing out snacks, blessings, and handwritten notes to strangers’ children.

These small acts reflect a national truth: Israeli parents carry the weight of fear, love, and duty, and in doing so, they embody a quiet heroism that shapes the country’s resilience.