‘Us or them’: Local Israeli family mourns soldier killed in Hezbollah attack

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Ayal Tamari's nephew, Omri Tamari, was killed by a Hezbollah drone attack on Israel, Sunday. The attack took the lives of four, and injured dozens.

"He joined the army, went to basic training camp, and he died there," Ayal said. "It (the drone) crashed into the cafeteria of the basic training camp while they were eating dinner. No warning, no sirens, no nothing."

Losing loved ones to war is not new for the nationalistic Tamari family. Ayal's grandfather was killed in 1948 and his father in 1968. "It's never worth (it) to lose a family member," Ayal said. "It's either us or them. There's no other option. They don't want to live in peace. Israel would gladly live in peace."

With a war raging in Gaza, Omri was drafted early, cutting his year of service at a therapy farm short. Ayal says, he doesn't believe there will be a ceasefire — nor does he want one. "Will you return all the people that you kidnapped? Will you return all the people that you killed," he said.

Meantime, the Hamas-run Health Ministry says the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 40,000. "Hamas's actions on October 7th were horrific," said Mindy Shaffer the convener for Rochester Witness for Palestine, a local advocacy group. "When we look at how many Palestinians have died since Oct. 7th and how many Israelis have died, it's astounding."

Shaffer says she feels the Palestinian struggle hasn't been heard — even with the loss of life during the war. "I'm not saying Israel shouldn't be a safe place for people to live —especially our Jewish brothers and sisters — but it needs to be safe for everyone," she said.

Ayal says he wishes there was peace "but realistically I don't see at that point how it could be."

Omri's parents are in mourning. Over 1,000 people were at his funeral.