Residents of the Gaza envelope, together with activists from the Tzav 9 movement and Otef Israel Forum, held an emergency demonstration on Tuesday outside the International Stabilization Force base at the Kerem Shalom Crossing to protest the plan to allow the force to enter Gaza and begin reconstruction before the full demilitarization of the enclave and disarmament of the Hamas terrorist organization.
Protesters blocked the road at the crossing, preventing trucks carrying humanitarian aid from passing.
Tzav 9 chairwoman Reut Ben Haim spoke with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News and explained the need for the demonstration. "We bring the sane voice from the ground. We see the concerning things happening in recent days, the kites that land by us, the IDF lookouts' warnings, and the entire time, our soldiers' hands are tied. Above all, we see the threat of foreign forces, who have already come here and will critically harm all of our security. We will stop the situation where foreign forces enter Gaza and tie the IDF's hands."
Bereaved father Oren Smadja, who recently joined Gilad Erdan's Unity Party, stated, "While my son is buried underground, they continue to revive Hamas, who are the greatest enemies of the State of Israel. We see that kite terrorism is returning - and the state has no answers to this."
"I believe they are returning to the old misconception. On October 7th, it was already proven that it doesn't work. We need to defeat Hamas with a heavy hand. The war is not over since we did not defeat Hamas. My son and all the soldiers worked to defeat Hamas, and in the meantime, that didn't happen, and life goes on. I shudder at the thought."