In the midst of a high-level meeting at the military headquarters located outside the Palestinian enclave, Israeli war cabinet minister Gadi Eizenkot was confronted with the devastating news of his son’s death in combat within Gaza. This tragic incident occurred while Eizenkot was deeply engrossed in discussions about operational plans.
The son of Israeli Cabinet Minister and former Army Chief Gadi Eizenkot was killed in war in the Gaza Strip.
Gal Meir Eisenkot was killed in a bomb blast in the Jabalia refugee camp.
The Israeli Army admitted that 416 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza war… pic.twitter.com/WGOGyitvmP
— WE News English (@WENewsEnglish) December 8, 2023
The news was recalled by his government partner during the solemn proceedings of the funeral on Friday.
The experience, fellow centrist minister Benny Gantz said in a televised eulogy, brought home for them both the career-long knowledge that “arrows on the map can become arrows in the hearts of beloved families”.
🇮🇱 | Funeral of IDF soldier Meir Eisenkot, son of the former IDF chief and current war cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot.#Israel | #Hamas | #Gaza | #TelAviv#Tsahal | #Palestine | #Netanyahu #Hostages | #BreakingNews | #IDF pic.twitter.com/11a1PnpNfd
— Breaking News (@PlanetReportHQ) December 8, 2023
Gal Meir Eisenkot, a young man of just 25 years, found himself amidst the sea of hundreds of thousands of military reservists who were called upon for an Israeli offensive. This massive mobilization was a direct response to a series of violent incidents that occurred on October 7, perpetrated by Hamas, Islamist group in the Gaza Strip.
Gal who served as a commando, tragically lost his life on a Thursday in the northern part of the enclave. This area has been a conflict, with Israeli forces locked in fierce battles with Hamas. These skirmishes are concentrated in a few remaining districts that have managed to hold out, even as the majority of Gaza fell under Israeli control last month.
Hamas said he was killed by a bomb rigged to a guerrilla tunnel in the district of Tal al-Zaatar. When Eisenkot was summoned by a casualty notification officer, he was in a operational planning room with Gantz.
“As that door – a door that became a curse – opened, it was similar to so many doors that you have opened in the past,” Gantz said in remarks addressed to Eizenkot. Both are former infantrymen who rose to command all of Israel’s military.
“I looked at you. When you went out, I thought: “No one deserves this. Gal doesn’t deserve this. Only those who love the homeland, who are raised to defend it and stand at the vanguard, are liable to fall in battle while protecting its future.”
Gantz, who previously held the position of defence minister and is widely recognized as the most formidable political adversary to the conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made the decision to become part of an expanded emergency government.
Under the terms of the agreement that facilitated the formation of this emergency government, Eizenkot was also brought on board. He joined the war cabinet, a critical decision-making body during times of conflict. Eizenkot’s inclusion in the war cabinet further strengthened the strategic capabilities of the government.
In the face of escalating global concern over the rising number of civilian casualties in Gaza, Israel has made a firm commitment to eradicate Hamas. This organization, which is supported by Iran, has pledged to obliterate Israel. Israel has also vowed to rescue 137 individuals who are currently being held hostage.
“Gal, I am certain that we will press the offensive, the effort to bolster the country which you so loved – in order that it will mainly be strong, cultivated and righteous,” Eizenkot, his voice choked with tears, said over his son’s coffin.
Among the esteemed attendees at the funeral held in Herzliya, located to the north of Tel Aviv, was Netanyahu. He was there to pay his respects and join in mourning the loss. The funeral was a solemn occasion, marked by the presence of dignitaries, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
Murderer Satanyahu @netanyahu , Isaac Herzog and other Israeli war criminals wept at the funeral of Gal Eisenkot, the son of a war cabinet minister who was killed during the ongoing occupation of northern Gaza. #IsraelIsATerroristState #IDF_TERRORIST pic.twitter.com/Zb9hHb19PG
— MIRZA BAIG™ (@BaigsonAuction) December 8, 2023
In a heartfelt tribute to the Eizenkot family, Netanyahu took to social media to express his sentiments. He stated,
“Our heroes have not fallen for nought. We shall continue to fight until victory.”
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