In video, masked reservist demands Gallant quit, threatens mutiny if government gives up on ‘complete victory’ over Hamas
A masked reservist soldier appears in a video shared on social media demanding Defense Minister Yoav Gallant quit and threatens to defy orders if the government doesn’t pursue what he defines as “complete victory” over Hamas.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the video is for you. We reservist soldiers do not intend to hand the keys over to any Palestinian authority. We do not intend to give the keys to Gaza to any entity — Hamas, Fatah or any other Arab entity. Reservist soldiers are behind you and we want to win,” the soldier says, in what appears to be a ruined building in Gaza.
The soldier appears to refer to conversations over the “day after” the war in Gaza, and various options of who will govern the Strip. Defense Minister Gallant made a public appeal to Netanyahu earlier this month, saying in a speech that he must take “tough decisions” to advance non-Hamas governance of Gaza, whatever the personal or political cost because the gains of the war are being eroded and Israel’s long-term security is at stake.
Gallant warned in his address that he will not consent to Israeli civil or military governance of Gaza, and that governance by non-Hamas Palestinian entities, accompanied by international actors, is in Israel’s interest.
Netanyahu quickly retorted that he was “not prepared to switch from Hamastan to Fatahstan,” referencing the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority.”
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you have 100,000 reservist soldiers that are ready to give their lives for the people of Israel. Ready to die. We lost everything, we lost our family life, we lost our livelihoods and we have nowhere to go. We will stay here, until the end. Until the victory,” the reservist soldier states.
“Yoav Gallant, you can’t win the war. Quit. You can’t win this war. You can’t command us,” the reservist says.
The soldier vows to refuse Gallant’s orders and asserts that soldiers will only listen to Netanyahu. He threatens that the 100,000 reservist soldiers would station themselves at the border and not move, and call on citizens of Israel to join them there if the government steps back from the goal of completely eliminating Hamas.
“Think really well who you leave the keys to after this. We want victory. Our brothers did not die for nothing, weren’t raped for nothing, and were not slaughtered in their beds for nothing,” he says, referring to the atrocities of Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
The IDF did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the video.
הסרטון הזה (שינון מגל פרסם בהתלהבות וערך ידידיה חממי) הוא קריאה למרד, ומגלם בתוכו את פירוק הממלכתיות, התרופפות המשמעת הצבאית, ושחיקת ערכי צה״ל
מישהו צריך להתעורר. אומה חפצת חיים, צבא חפץ ניצחון אמיתי, צריך לשלוט בחיילים שלו. שריפת ספרים, ביזה וגרפיטי הם רק קדימון לבאות
תתעוררו pic.twitter.com/BJAl9frWMV
— Nadav Oz Salzberger נדב עוז זלצברגר (@NadavSalz) May 24, 2024
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.