A firestorm erupted Friday after a directive was relayed from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to troops to have his UN speech Friday broadcast through loudspeakers for Gazans to hear it live. While per the Prime Minister's Office statement he asked that the speakers be on the Israeli side of the border, IDF sources assert they do not know the intent of the statement and that they were told the order was to set the speakers within Gaza (as visible in the image later in the article).
According to the Prime Minister's Office: "As part of the informational campaign, the Prime Minister's Office directed civilian factors in collaboration with the IDF to position speakers on trucks solely on the Israeli side of the Gaza border, to transmit into the Gaza Strip the landmark speech of Prime Minister Netanyahu Friday at the UN General Assembly. Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed to confirm clearly that this operation would not risk IDF soldiers."
According to a host of sources, the speech of Prime Minister Netanyahu is anticipated to feature a direct appeal to Gaza residents with focus on Israel's wish to liberate them from the Hamas regime that employs them as hostages. For this reason Netanyahu sought the placement of the speakers.
IDF got the directive overnight Thursday from the Prime Minister's Office and proceeded to place the speakers inside the strip. Only on Friday did Netanyahu's statement indicate that the speakers should supposedly be only beyond the fence. The IDF, baffled by that, has scrambled to see what the actual directive entails.
Sources report that this week, in a meeting of the prime minister with the defense minister and chief of staff, the prime minister instructed to assist with broadcasting the October 7 horror video at the UN for public diplomacy purposes. The IDF sent a relevant person to handle the matter. Meanwhile, those same elements were asked to find a solution so that the prime minister's speech would bypass Hamas and be heard by Gaza residents – this was perceived as an influence and public diplomacy mission, and as a means of pressure on Hamas. According to sources, this mission as such is legitimate, meaning public diplomacy and influence, but there are additional tools besides loudspeakers, although in the past loudspeakers were used in other arenas.
It was further reported that there is no claim that the Prime Minister's Office is lying. But the military is carrying out the mission as best as possible, so they will hear. Carrying out the political level's instruction to broadcast the speech to the target audience, since the prime minister's order was to broadcast the words to Hamas. While the prime minister's statement said the trucks would be outside the Strip, the IDF decided to bring the trucks inside so they would hear.
The source claims that the instruction was not to bring the loudspeakers into the Strip. But the IDF decided to bring them in so they would hear after analyzing the area because if they hadn't brought them in, the population wouldn't have heard.
The Ima Era ("Mom's Up") movement, a group of women supporting Israeli soldiers on the front lines, said the following: "Netanyahu, if one soldier is killed in this madness – does this sound logical to you? Until when will you use our sons for your personal campaign? They are not just extras in your war frame. They are not scenery in your megalomaniac show. They are fighters – first of all people – who are worn thin in a war without horizon. And here, once again, you showed how much their lives do not count in your eyes. We turn and demand from the chief of staff and also from the GOC southern command: The responsibility for the lives of the fighters is in your hands. It is forbidden to give a hand to this madness."
