Holocaust survivor Moshe Etzion. Photo: Eshkol Regional Council

An 88-year-old Holocaust survivor died by suicide on Sunday at the grave of his son, on the anniversary of his death on the last day of Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

The Eshkol Regional Council said that Moshe Etzion left his home in Kibbutz Nirim early Sunday, and that a search began for him several hours later, Israeli news site Walla reported.

Searchers eventually found him dead at the grave of his son Ze’ev “Zevik” Etzion.

Zevik was a security guard and paramedic at the kibbutz who was killed by a Hamas mortar strike during the 2014 conflict between Israel and the terrorist group.

Moshe’s daughter Samar Halperin said, “My father was an optimistic person who loved life. With everything he had been through in his life, a smile never left his face. He loved Israel and the kibbutz very much.”

“He did what he did out of love,” she said. “He didn’t want to be a burden on the family. … He decided when, how, and where to do it.”

She added that Moshe had driven Palestinian children in need of medical care from checkpoints to hospitals in Israel, and lectured frequently to students and soldiers about his Holocaust experience.

Kibbutz Nirim issued a statement saying, “Moshe stood heroically not only in bereavement, but also in the circumstances of his life as a Holocaust survivor. … Moshe inspired pride and faith that anything is possible in all of us.”

Etzion leaves behind a wife, his daughter, and several grandchildren.