Yanai Hetzroni

Yanai Hetzroni
ינאי חצרוני
Born
Kibbutz Be'eri
DiedOctober 7, 2023 (aged 12)
Burial placeKibbutz Be’eri
Known forVictim of October 7 Attacks

Yanai Hetzroni (also "Hezroni"; Hebrew: ינאי חצרוני; 2011 – October 7, 2023) was a 12 year old Israeli boy from Kibbutz Be'eri who was killed by Hamas during the October 7th attacks against Israel. He was burned alive inside his home along with his twin sister Liel Hetzroni and his great-aunt Ayala Hetzroni.[1][2] It took two weeks to identify Yanai using DNA evidence.[3] Yanai was remembered as "a lovely boy who was really coming into his own in terms of his character and personality" and a "very sporty child who loved tennis, football and basketball."[4][5]

Early life

Yanai and his twin sister, Liel Hetzroni were raised from birth by their great aunt, Ayala Hetzroni at Kibbutz Be'eri.[6] The twins' mother, Shira Hetzroni, suffered brain damage following a C-section, causing the twins to be raised by extended family.[7] Yanai was described as a "sporty child who loved tennis, football, and basketball" and that he had a "shyness about him that everyone respected."[4]

Murder on October 7 and Aftermath

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants entered Kibbutz Be'eri during its large-scale assault on southern Israel. Dozens of residents were killed and others were abducted. Yanai and his grandfather Avia Hetzroni were murdered that day while Liel and his great aunt Ayala Hetzroni were initially listed as missing.[8][9] Their remains were identified roughly one month after the attack.[10][11] On October 23, Yanai and Avia were buried next to each other in Revivim.[12]

Yanai's father contends that he was killed for being Jewish, stating, "There was no other reason why these Hamas terrorists came in the kibbutz other than to kill, murder, maim Jewish children, babies, parents and old people all because they lived in the Jewish homeland."[4] During his eulogy, Yanai was described as "A sensitive, smart child, who knows how to read the situation well."[13] Yanai's grandfather Avia was a volunteer with Magen David Adom[14] and Yanai was remembered by MDA by accompanying his grandfather to help with various initiatives.[15] On April 17, 2024, Rabbi Claire Magidovitch Green, Yanai's cousin dedicated that week's Torah portion to him as he would have been 13 that week and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on that Saturday.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Rozovsky, Liza. "Four members of one Israeli family killed on October 7 laid to rest in Kibbutz Be'eri". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  2. ^ Lefkovits, Etgar (2023-11-17). "Family buries belongings of Liel, 12, burned alive during terror attack on kibbutz". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  3. ^ Lefkovits, Etgar. "Abschied von Liel, dem 12-jährigen Opfer der Hamas". Israel Heute (in German). Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  4. ^ a b c "Gaza war: Father of twins killed in Hamas attack says he is broken by deaths". 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  5. ^ Percival, Richard (2023-11-23). "'There wasn't enough of her body left to bury' Father of twins killed by Hamas left devastated by their murder". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  6. ^ "Family gathers for a farewell ceremony for Liel, a 12-year-old victim of Hamas". National Post. November 18, 2023.
  7. ^ Lefkovits, Etgar (2023-11-19). "Remains found of 12-year-old girl burned alive by Hamas". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  8. ^ Steinberg, Jessica (2023-11-14). "Funeral held for aunt, niece murdered on Oct 7, even though latter hasn't been identified". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  9. ^ Staff, ToI (2023-10-26). "Ayala Hetzroni, 73, and Liel Hetzroni, 12: Killed with their brothers". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  10. ^ Tzuri, Matan (2023-11-19). "Remains of 12-year-old Oct. 7 massacre victim identified". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  11. ^ i24NEWS (2023-11-19). "Forensic team identifies body of 12-year-old Liel Hatzroni from Kibbutz Be'eri". i24NEWS. Retrieved 2025-12-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Staff, ToI (2023-11-19). "Remains of 12-year-old Oct. 7 victim Liel Hetzroni identified". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  13. ^ digital, anat (2024-05-12). "Eulogy for the Twins Liel and Yanai Hetzroni of Blessed Memory // Shelly Osadon". מכון סאמיט. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  14. ^ Staff, ToI (2023-10-16). "Senior EMT Aviya Hetzroni, 69: Killed before he could help". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  15. ^ "לזכר משפחת חצרוני מבארי: ניידת טיפול נמרץ חדשה". www.mdais.org. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  16. ^ Magidovitch Green, Rabbi Claire (April 17, 2024). "Lashon Hara Hurts Us All".
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