Wounded soldier Ophir Engelsman pulled off his prosthetic leg during a press conference held by injured war veterans calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to stop the war in Gaza.
“We were not wounded in vain; we did not lose limbs — arms, legs — for us to go and surrender to the enemy. I lost my leg, and I am even willing to lose another one so that we carry this operation through to the end,” Engelsman said.
He added, “We demand of you, Mr. Prime Minister, to finish this campaign, to wipe out the enemy, to conquer the entire Gaza Strip, and ultimately to settle there as well. We are not willing to surrender to Hamas, to make deals with the devil, and to lose everything we’ve achieved until today.”
Kfir Zar, an Armored Corps soldier who was critically wounded during the fighting in the Gaza Strip, also called on the Prime Minister not to withdraw from territory seized with soldiers’ blood.
“Netanyahu, we were not wounded in vain. Our friends were not wounded in vain or killed for nothing. We must not give back territory taken with the blood of soldiers, fighters and commanders must not be returned. Only the IDF can safeguard the security of the people of Israel for generations.”