A sleeping child, a new child / Hanoch Daum

Hanoch Daum brings from Cyprus the stories of parents of soldiers with severe head injuries. They describe the lack of understanding from their surroundings, the daily struggle, and the feeling that their lives have changed. Keren tells how her son saved 62 soldiers, and Dror writes about the need to forget the 'old Itai' in order to accept the 'new Itai'. Daum notes progress in the state's internalization of their situation.

Hanoch Daum's column, written from the secret forest in Cyprus, describes a meeting with parents of soldiers who returned from the war with severe head injuries. The parents speak of the daily hardship, the lack of understanding from those around them, and the sense that their lives have changed beyond recognition. Keren recounts that her son saved 62 soldiers in the battle where he was wounded on October 7, and that she placed a flag on his wheelchair so he would not be seen as disabled from birth. Yuval rejects well-meaning advice from others, and Karina explains that there is a 'before' and an 'after'. Dror writes that to accept the 'new Itai', he must forget the 'old Itai'. The parents also describe the fear of forgetting their children as they once were, and the difficulty of facing questions about progress. In conclusion, Daum notes progress in the state's internalization of the families' situation, thanks to the President of the State and the Director General of the Ministry of Defense.