‘Hashem yikom damo’ – [May G-d avenge his blood] is not an unusual expression, but an accepted wording that is part of the Jewish faith.’
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that the current regulations would be changed and that the phrase “May God avenge his blood” would be inscribed on a fallen soldier Captain Yisrael Yudkin’s tombstone.
Although the phrase ‘Hashem yikom damo’ is often used concerning those who are killed by enemies of Israel, until now, army regulations have not permitted it to be carved into a tombstone of a fallen soldier.
After the Yudkin family’s initial request to have the phrase written on the tombstone was refused, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with a council of bereaved family members, representatives of the Yad Labanim organization and the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization.