Dad Dies By Suicide Over Son's Grave On His Death Anniversary

KEY POINTS

An 88-year-old man in Israel was found dead over the grave of his son on the anniversary of his death Sunday
Authorities searched for the man, a Holocaust survivor, after he left home in the morning and failed to reappear for some time
His son was reportedly killed by a Hamas-launched mortar shell in the last hours of the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict

An 88-year-old Holocaust survivor in Israel took his own life Sunday over the grave of his son who had died in the last hours of the country's seven-week-long military campaign into the Gaza Strip in 2014, local media reported.

The body of Moshe Etzion was found over the grave of his son — identified by The Jerusalem Post as Zevik — on the anniversary of the latter's death Sunday.

The elderly man left his home in Negev region's Nirim community in the morning but had not reappeared hours later, prompting the search that led authorities to Zevik's grave, a report by The Times of Israel said.

His son — also known as Ze'ev, according to the outlet — was a local security officer for the community during Israel and Gaza's July 8 to Aug. 26, 2014 military conflict. He was reportedly killed on the last day of the conflict by a Hamas-launched mortar shell that landed in Nirim.

The alleged bombardment occurred in the hour before a ceasefire agreed upon by Israeli and Palestinian representatives took effect.

The seventh anniversary of Zevik's death fell on Sunday under the Jewish calendar, according to the Times of Israel.

"He loved Zevik very much. After Zevik was killed, he asked for his personal gun as a memento, and he did it with that same gun," Moshe's daughter, Smadar, said in The Jerusalem Post report.

"Since Zevik's passing, Moshe has been focused on trying endlessly to be worthy of Zevik's legacy, which he spoke of in dozens of places and events," the community of Nirim said in a statement released Sunday.

The Eshkol Regional Council said that Moshe was a known figure in the community and was a "beloved and valued member in Eshkol."

"[Moshe was] a symbol of the value of giving, the love humanity and the country," the council was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz described Moshe's death as "devastating and tragic."

"There are no words that can comfort a father who mourns his son. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the security establishment, I sent condolences to [Moshe's] family," Gantz said in a statement released on Sunday evening.

Moshe’s funeral was scheduled to take place in Nirim at 6:30 p.m. Monday.