bereaved families at Mt. Herzl
bereaved families at Mt. HerzlArutz Sheva

Bereaved families who lost loved ones on October 7 and during the war held a press conference this evening (Thursday) on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem strongly criticizing the violence at recent anti-government protests.

Itzik Bonzel, the father of Staff Sergeant Amit Bonzel, who fell in battle in Gaza, said, "We stand here in this holy place face to face with those who want to burn down our country, divide us, and try to tear Israeli society apart again only because of their hatred for the current government."

"Those lawbreakers don't care about the hostages, they don't care about the soldiers who are currently fighting in Gaza, and they certainly don't care about our children who fell for the sanctification of God's name and so that they and their family members to continue living in this land," he added.

"We will not allow the extremists to burn down the country and harm policemen and symbols of government. This vocal minority will not succeed in dismantling Israeli society this time. We simply will not let them," Bonzel said.

According to him, "We, the bereaved families, came today to Mount Herzl, the holy mountain, the mountain of heroes, to visit the graves of our sons who fell defending the land. We came today to stand before them and promise them a second time that we will continue the war for the land they loved so much. We came here to promise them that we will do everything for the unity of our people."

"From October 7 until today, 600 funerals were held in Israel and the entire nation of Israel wept with us at those funerals. At all 600 funerals, the bereaved families called for unity among the people of Israel. We all swore to continue the path of the fallen and we have no intention of breaking this oath. From this sacred place, Mount Herzl, which has united the people of Israel since the establishment of the state until today, I would like to convey a message to the Nazi Sinwar and the rest of our enemies: Don't reach the wrong conclusions. The people of Israel are all united in supporting the war and in full support of our army and our heroic soldiers. It is only a matter of time until we eliminate you once and for all. The people of Israel are united. The people of Israel are strong and the people of Israel live," he concluded.