Bitzaron, Israel – When young Israeli Irene Shavit spoke to her mother after her first date with Netta Epstein, she said she was “already in love” but feared it could “end badly”.
Shavit, 22, imagined that the romance, like so many others, might end in heartbreak. Instead, it ended on October 7, when Epstein dived onto a Hamas grenade to save her life.
He was among the 1,400 people killed in the shock Hamas attack and its aftermath, according to Israeli authorities, most of them civilians who died on the first day. “He died so I could live, so I must live,” said Shavit about her fiance, who was also 22.
But starting life again poses a wrenching dilemma for her.
“If I don’t do it, it’s a betrayal. But if I do it, I also feel like I’m betraying him,” she said, crying. “I miss his kisses, his embrace, his love.” The pair had been due to marry in April…
