“Fought with all her might”: Zehava Shaul, mother of Oron Shaul, laid to rest

Zehava Shaul, mother of Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul, was laid to rest today (Sunday) at the cemetery in Poriya Illit. Zehava, who passed away last Friday at the age of 71, was buried alongside her husband, Herzl, and her son, Oron, may their memory be blessed.

Since he fell in battle in the Gaza Strip during Operation Protective Edge, Oron's body was held by Hamas terrorists, and his mother, Zehava, never ceased to believe in the return of her son's body for burial in Israel. A year and a half ago, Zehava was able to attend his funeral after his body was recovered in January 2025 in a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the IDF. A year and a half after he was returned, his mother, Zehava, passed away after a battle with cancer.

“Grateful that I had the privilege of being your son”

Zehava's sons, Ofek and Aviram, eulogized their mother.

“My mother, the most precious thing to me in the world. This is the moment I feared all my life. You are my whole world. Every morning I would wake up and express gratitude for you. When I would wake up before you, I would go up to your room, watch you sleeping, and say thank you. Thank you for breathing, for being healthy, for being strong. I was grateful that you would get up every day anew with strength that cannot be described. Because the arduous journey you went through felt like a miracle every day. I am grateful that I had the privilege of being your son,” her son Ofek eulogized.

He further added: “Twenty years ago, the doctors said you wouldn't have a chance to overcome the illness. And you succeeded; they called you a medical miracle. After that, an 11-year struggle to bring your son home, and losing Dad along the way. And even recently in the hospital, you simply didn't give up for a moment. It hurts me that you won't see your grandson grow up, it hurts me that the chapter after the struggle to return Oron was too short.”

Her son, Aviram, also spoke: “All I wanted in life was to make you a happy woman. I thank God that you had the privilege of seeing Oron return home and that you had the privilege of being a grandmother. In the battle against cancer and the battle for Oron's return, you taught us an important lesson about faith and the righteousness of the path. First of all, to be human beings, and then everything else.”

“A symbol of love, faith, and determination”

Head of the Emek HaYarden Regional Council, Idan Greenbaum, eulogized her: “With deep sorrow, we have reached the end of the journey. A dear woman with a noble soul who over the years became a symbol of love, faith, and determination. She dedicated her life to Oron's return, but the concern for the entire family was her guiding light.”

Brigadier General Edna Ilia, Chief Casualty Officer, documented the heroism of a mother who carried an impossible reality: “For 11 years you prayed for his return, you remained the anchor of the family and continued to hold the home together with faith and silence. Zehava spoke as a mother. Not slogans — a mother whose desire was to see her son return home.”

“Fought with all your might”

Zehava's brother-in-law, Yossi, described the smile that never left her face: “At every junction and crisis, I never saw you sad. In the days of the protest tent in Jerusalem and throughout the journey to return Oron — you fought with all your might. You taught the people of Israel an important lesson in parenting.”

Momi Namimi, Zehava's nephew, added with tears: “You stood like a wounded lioness, fighting the illness and not giving up for a moment. You promised and you delivered. Along the way, you lost Herzl, his strength could not withstand the pain and the anticipation. May your memory be blessed.”