Eden Zecharya

Eden Zecharya, 27, from Rishon Lezion, was murdered by Hamas terrorists while escaping in a car with her boyfriend and friends from the Supernova desert rave on October 7.

Zecharya is survived by her parents, Orin and Zohar, and her brother Guy.

She and her boyfriend Ofek Kimchi were both fatally shot by Hamas on on the day of the invasion. Zecharya’s body was taken to Gaza, and for two months afterward, she was considered kidnapped because authorities recovered footage of her still breathing immediately after being shot.

Her last words to her mother were, “Take care of the dogs.” Zecharya and her boyfriend were raising two hunting dogs, Ted and Kaya, whom they loved dearly.

Zecharya’s body was found and recovered in December, at which point her family was notified of her death. Her funeral was held on December 15, which would have been her 28th birthday, at the Palmahim cemetery.

During the operation to recover the bodies, Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot — the son of war cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot — and Master Sgt. (res.) Eyal Meir Berkowitz were killed, and other soldiers were wounded.

In a December interview with Israel’s Channel 13, her mother, Orin Zach-Gantz, said Zecharya was actually killed on October 7.

“There is comfort in knowing that it was over on October 7 and that she didn’t have to suffer through hell,” Zach-Gantz said.

Zach-Gantz described to Channel 13 how the soldiers who brought Zecharya’s body out of Gaza “carried her like she was a princess.”

“They wrapped her in a blanket, and when they brought her to Israel like a queen… They lifted her gently, they truly respected her.”

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Zach-Gantz said, “If there’s something you can’t miss about Eden, it’s her smile.”

“She used to write down [notes of] gratitude every day for everything she has – gratitude for her job, for her parents, for her friends. She really wanted things to be good.”

After learning of her death, Zach-Gantz eulogized her daughter in a post on Facebook:

“I would pay millions to hear you call me ‘Mom’ one more time.”
Source: The Times of Israel