Image by getty images

The parents of soldiers killed during Israel’s 2014 war with Hamas in Gaza heckled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a memorial ceremony.

“We don’t believe you,” shouted Yoram Tal, whose son Omri, a captain, was killed during Operation Protective Edge. “My son died for democracy, not for this government.”

Tal’s shouts at the beginning of the prime minister’s speech Tuesday at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem were broadcast on Israeli news websites.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“As a bereaved brother, I understand your pain,” Netanyahu responded. His brother Yoni was killed in the Entebbe Airport raid in Uganda in 1976.

Another father, and his wife, called for an inquiry into the operation, according to reports.

“The families are asking the prime minister, like prime ministers before him … to set up a commission of inquiry into the events of Protective Edge,” said Moti Matt, whose son Lee, 19, was killed in Gaza.

“This is the entire demand, but the prime minister comes along and paints everything rose-colored and says everything will be fine,” said Matt’s wife, Smadar.

Netanyahu praised the success of the operation.

“The communities surrounding Gaza are flourishing because of your boys. Children are able to play outside because of your boys, and farmers are able to plow their fields thanks to the soldiers and commanders who were called to arms and stood on the front line,” he said.

Sixty-six Israeli soldiers, five Israeli civilians – including a 4-year-old boy — and a Thai national were killed in the conflict. Some 2,220 Palestinians were killed; the number of Hamas operatives versus civilian casualties remains in dispute.

Netanyahu also promised that the return of the bodies of two soldiers, Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, whose remains are being held hostage by Hamas, “is an ongoing mission for me and one that we will achieve, even if it takes a long time.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount