Thousands of protestors participated this evening (Thursday) in a “victory rally” opposite Kiryat Hamemshalah in Jerusalem, calling to continue the war in the Gaza Strip until Hamas was brought down. The protest included former military officers and families of fallen and wounded IDF soldiers from the war, alongside senior religious Zionist and political leaders.
The protestors carried signs saying things like “Now We Win – We Don’t Fold,” “Only Pressure on Hamas Will Return the Hostages.” Signs could also be seen with pictures of those who fell in the war, with the statement “In Death, They Commanded Us to Victory.”
The rally was organized by the “Reservists’ Encampment,” an organization formed by reservists discharged after long service along the northern border and in the Gaza Strip from October 7 onward. The organization said that “during their service, the soldiers experienced great frustration at the giving up on military accomplishments which the IDF achieved in conquering the northern Strip and leaving with the sense that Israel’s security approach has not changed, and we are returning to the rounds approach which will bring the next Hamas attack soon.”
They called on the government “to stop folding, and instead radiate power towards Hamas. Every expression of weakness will bring on more death and more kidnapping. The death of our friends should not be in vain.” They also called for defeating the enemy, including taking significant territory from them.
