Bereaved families from the Gevurah Forum released a video today (Monday) addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cabinet members as preparations advance for foreign forces to enter the Gaza Strip. The families are demanding that security responsibility in the area remain solely with the IDF, reminding the government of commitments they say were made to them during the war.
3+The video is part of the bereaved families’ campaign against bringing foreign forces into the Strip. The family members, whose loved ones fell during the war, are asking the prime minister to honor his commitment that Israel’s security vis-à-vis Gaza will remain the IDF’s responsibility.
“Mr. Prime Minister, we are members of the Gevurah Forum, bereaved families. You promised us time and again that control of the Gaza Strip would be only in the hands of the IDF and not in the hands of any foreign entity. Our children went to battle because they loved life. They wanted children to be able to play peacefully on playgrounds; they wanted to bring security and peace to all of us. We will always grieve their loss, but at least let us know that in their deaths they enabled life,” the families say in the video.
3+They then address reports about the possibility of foreign forces entering the Strip and plans for its rehabilitation: “We’re hearing about bringing foreign forces into Gaza, we’re hearing about rebuilding the Strip. We demand that you honor your promise and show courage and heroism as our children showed in the war. Have we forgotten so quickly what happened before October 7th? Have we forgotten the massacre, the rape, the slaughter? Our children fought and gave their lives so that the people of Israel would live here forever.”
The families deliver a sharp message to the prime minister, asking him not to transfer security responsibility to an international entity. “Mr. Prime Minister, the blood of our children cries out: it is not in vain that we bear this pain day after day, and we ask—don’t stab our heroic children in the back.”
3+They conclude their appeal with a message to cabinet members as well: “Mr. Prime Minister, cabinet members, you committed multiple times that security in the Gaza Strip will be only in the hands of the Israel Defense Forces. We cannot rely on any foreign force—only the Israel Defense Forces.”
Participating in the video were Itzik Pitusi, father of Yishai; Haya Meir, mother of David; Tzurit Fenigstein, mother of Maoz; Roni Nisnowitz, father of Uri; Mimi Levy, mother of Tzvika Levia; Muriel Franco, mother of Kfir; Rabbi Yehoram and Vizua Eliyahu, parents of Yedidya; and Yehoshua Shani, father of Uri Mordechai.
3+The Gevurah Forum’s appeal comes as preparations advance for the possibility of foreign forces entering the Gaza Strip as part of arrangements concerning its future. The families oppose the move and are demanding that even within the framework of a future arrangement, responsibility for Israel’s security vis-à-vis the Strip not be transferred to an international entity.
For the families, the issue is directly connected to the goals for which their loved ones went to war. They are asking cabinet members to make decisions based on what they define as the spirit of combat and sacrifice of the fallen, and argue that reliance on a foreign force could undermine achievements gained at the cost of their lives.