WATCH: Father Whose Son Was Killed in Gaza Pays Grocery Bills For Entire Store

ISRAEL (VINnews) — This heart wrenching video shares the emotional and painful story of a loving father who lost his son in Gaza, and is now doing unthinkably powerful acts of chesed to honor his son’s memory.

According to a social media post by “We are Chizuk”, Refael Arvas is a grieving father who tragically lost his beloved son Shay HY”D in combat in Gaza. A video posted on social media shows Refael walking into a grocery store in Israel and announcing, with tears welling up, that in honor of their service and in honor of his fallen son, he is paying for everyone’s shopping and they should buy whatever they need.

According to the post on Instagram: “Refael’s days are spent honoring not only his son but also the fallen heroes who rest beside him. Each day, he visits their graves, tending to the space, cleaning, lighting candles, and speaking softly to those he can no longer embrace. His love and respect bridge the silence, honoring a bond that lives on eternally. His son, a combat medic with the Givati unit, was killed together with 10 other soldiers in his unit in Gaza.”

His name is Rafel Arvas the father of Shai Arvas (HYD) who lost his life in the war.
He is on TikTok and I follow him, each day he arrives to his son grave and all the other victims that are buried next to his son.
He talks to them, clean the area and light candles for them, he…

— Sarit 🇮🇱 (@Sarit2024) October 27, 2024

According to an X user named Sarit:

“His name is Rafel Arvas the father of Shai Arvas (HYD) who lost his life in the war. He is on TikTok and I follow him, each day he arrives to his son grave and all the other victims that are buried next to his son. He talks to them, clean the area and light candles for them, he is breaking my heart in all his videos.”

Shai left the following emotional, heart-breaking letter for his family, in case he did not return:

“Just in case…I want you to know how much I miss you and I love you, and the truth is that I was happy to do what I [could] do to save people and protect the country because it’s something I always wanted.

“Something that has always been a part of me since I was little and now, I had the opportunity to do it and give of myself to the country as well. So you know that all this was not for nothing and was worth it. All the people of Israel will continue this tradition and love the country because people didn’t just die here for nothing, and there are people who have to protect it.

“I know it will be difficult, but I want you to continue as you are. Go on in life, give as much as you can, be a united family. Adar, my love, keep going. It will be hard, but I really want you to be as happy as you are now and keep moving forward.

“And all my close friends, I love you and appreciate you for all the life we lived together and the experiences we’ve had together. It was fun, I enjoyed it a lot, and I had a happy life. Grandpa, I know you always believed in me and were very proud of me for becoming a combat fighter, so be proud, even now, because I didn’t die for nothing.”