Activists working for the release of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, whose bodies have been held by Hamas in Gaza since 2014, gathered on Saturday night at the Lev Afek Mall in Rosh Haayin, near the home of Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
Simcha Goldin, the father of soldier Hadar Goldin, spoke at the demonstration and directly addressed Gantz in his remarks, saying, "We are standing here to remind you that you left two soldiers on the battlefield and that your call to follow you is a mockery, because soldiers who followed you remained on the battlefield."
"For eight years you did not bring them back, you have been the Minister of Defense for over two and a half years and you did not bring them back. You carried out two operations in Gaza and you didn't bring them back and you want us to believe that we should follow you as Prime Minister?"
Goldin added that "there is no leader who can lead the State of Israel and the IDF who leaves soldiers on the battlefield and does not bring them back for such a long period of time."
Leah Goldin, the mother of Hadar Goldin, also addressed the Minister of Defense in her remarks and said, "I met the Secretary General of the United Nations three times and he takes responsibility for the return of Hadar, Oron and the boys."
"All you need now is to ask him and stop being silent about it like you have been for eight years. You can't run for Prime Minister with the slogan 'follow me' when you abandoned your two outstanding soldiers."