The one greeting us is a decorated fighter and the deputy battalion commander of a reconnaissance battalion, who sums up the mission succinctly: "What we didn't finish then, we'll do today. We're advancing deeper, maneuvering harder, we have more time and bigger missions. We didn't bring all the captives home, we haven't yet destroyed Hamas, we missed big time and we're here to fix that."
The World Court, also known as the International Court of Justice, said it would hold hearings on Thursday and Friday to discuss a request by South Africa seeking new emergency measures over the Rafah incursion, which Qatar says has stalled efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, one of the judges for the quiz, addressed the protesters saying, "We have been granted the privilege to live in Jerusalem this year, and the obligation to ensure we can live here next year as well. This is what we are fighting for – the right to continue living in our land."
In a video message aired during the ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "In the War of Independence, we stood alone as five Arab nations invaded our land after we declared statehood. The spirit of generations and the life force of a people unwilling to die sustained us, as King David said in Psalms, 'I shall not die, but live.'"
The shift from grief to festivity was particularly poignant this year after a spate of Palestinian terrorist attacks in October left more than 1200 Israelis dead, mostly civilians. This year's traditional Torch-Lighting Ceremony on Mount Herzl was prerecorded, dedicated mainly to those affected by the Hamas atrocities and the war in Gaza.
