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From the Liveblog of Saturday, March 30, 2024

At Jerusalem rally, soldier’s mother fears for son’s health as gov’t fails to plan for ‘day after’ war

By Jessica Steinberg

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30 March 2024, 9:06 pm 1 Edit

Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Naama, a mother of a combat soldier and member of the Awakened Mothers group, at an anti-government protest in Jerusalem, on March 30, 2024. (Jessica Steinberg/The Times of Israel)

Naama, whose son is in a commando unit in Gaza and part of the Awakened Mothers group, says she doesn’t sleep or eat. She worries how her son will survive and what will be of his body, his soul, after this is all over.

“We sent our kids again to Khan Younis and our government still won’t plan for the day after,” she says.

Naama lists the names of the soldiers killed and injured in the last week “and it’s still not over,” she says. “He doesn’t want the hostages released, he doesn’t want the war to be over, he wants us scared and without hope.“

“But this country is all we have,” she says. ”We have no other country.”