‘We can manage without America’: bereaved families demand defeat of Hamas
Families of fallen Israeli soldiers demonstrated in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening for a decisive victory over Hamas, saying that the deaths of their loved ones should not be in vain.
Families of fallen Israeli soldiers demonstrate in Jerusalem for the defeat of Hamas on May 22, 2024. Photo by Kobi Natan/TPS-IL
“We are not another star on the American flag. The people of Israel have managed without America in the past, and with our brave soldiers, we can manage without America now,” Itzik Fitusi told The Press Service of Israel. His son, 21-year-old Staff Sergeant Yishai Fitusi was killed defending Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7.
Outside the Prime Minister’s Office, the families held photos of the fallen soldiers, waved blue and white Israeli flags and called for the defeat of Hamas.
“The people demand victory,” they chanted. “No stopping until we achieve victory.”
Beora Margolis told TPS-IL, “We have lost the most precious loved ones, and we are fighting, and you need to fight for us. We are all together here, so where are you? Please, stop arguing among yourselves; we have enough conflicts among us. Until victory!” Her 37-year-old brother, Saar Margolis, was a member of Kibbutz Kissufim’s civilian security team killed during the attack.
Unable to hold back tears, she said, “It’s deeply painful for me to see this as an Israeli who lives here, that someone blames us for killing Palestinians. We don’t kill them; it’s Hamas we are after. Those who blame us don’t understand what they’re supporting. They express support for something they have no clue about, while we mourn our loved ones taken from us by Hamas.”
The protesters said the world was tying Israel’s hands by trying to dictate how to fight the war and placing undue emphasis on humanitarian aid.
“Radical Islam is rising all around the world, and it’s planning to slowly take over, while convincing you that you have to be accepting and humane towards it,” Bonzel told TPS-IL. “They managed to confuse us even here in Israel. The kibbutzim on the Gaza border employed Gazans for years and ensured they received medical treatments in Israel when needed. And now it has turned against them.”
He added, “My son fought and fell in Gaza for the State of Israel, but in some way, he also fell for people in other countries around the world. When there is a war, the whole world follows it in the media but thinks it won’t reach them. I’m telling you, you have to wake up.”
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 128 remaining hostages, some 40 are believed dead.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, 634 soldiers have been killed since October 7.
