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Israeli War Cabinet Minister Lays Son to Rest Who Was Killed in Gaza
Israeli cabinet minister and former military chief Gadi Eizenkot is consoled by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as he attends the funeral of his son Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, an Israeli solider, who was killed in northern Gaza during the ongoing ground operation by Israel’s military in the Gaza Strip, in Herzliya, Israel, Dec. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Israeli War Cabinet Minister Gadi Eisenkot eulogized his son on Friday morning, after he was killed in battle the prior day while fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
First Sergeant Gal Eisenkot, 25, a medic and infantry fighter in Battalion 699 in the 551st Reserve Brigade, fell in combat in northern Gaza.
The elder Eisenkot, a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, spoke of his son’s love for his country and his ultimate sacrifice.
“I am sure that the State of Israel will be strong, developed, and just — as you always used to criticize things that you did not like about what is happening here,” he said. “Gal, beloved of our hearts, I promise you that we will continue to be a close-knit and happy family so that your sacrifice and that of the fallen was not in vain.”
Eisenkot choked up as he spoke to the crowd of thousands, which included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and other prominent members of the Israeli military and government.
“We love you forever — father, mother, and the whole family,” he said. “I salute you and pledge to you that we will do everything so that we will be deserving to contribute to the right decisions for those who sacrificed for your comrades in arms and for the entire Israeli people who embrace us in this difficult time.”
The former IDF chief of staff noted that his late son, the youngest of five children, was ready to act in defense of Israel immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israeli communities.
“On Oct. 7, we all woke up to a shocking event. You immediately began to organize equipment,” he said. “In a conversation about the war in Gaza, you told me that you and your comrades in the company feel that this is a just war. That we must return all the hostages and defeat Hamas after the barbaric and cruel event they committed. You also told me this in other conversations.”
The younger Eisenkot’s unit representative, Lt. Col. Eran Barkat, told the crowd that Gal “performed a significant service … We will continue to do everything in our power to restore peace and security to the State of Israel with the light of a wave accompanying our path.”
Benny Gantz — another member of Israel’s war cabinet, the leader of Eisenkot’s party, and a close friend of his — added, “What makes a young, talented guy, the joker of the family, leave everything and go into battle? The home. Your home, our home, the State of Israel, which is perhaps in its most difficult hour. The home from which they grew and grew, which teaches them to love it, to shout after it, and to follow it.”
He continued: “Gadi, when we approved [battle] plans we knew their meaning. We knew that the arrows on the maps could become arrows in the hearts of such good and dear families. You, my brother in arms, my partner, you, and your family are the embodiment of personal giving, of placing the national interest above all personal consideration. You understood the meaning very well. In the last few weeks, your big heart did not let you rest. In front of every family of a kidnapped or abducted [Israel], in front of every whole family, they were all your sons, they were all your daughters.”
Since the war’s outbreak on Oct. 7, about 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting the Hamas terror group.
The post Israeli War Cabinet Minister Lays Son to Rest Who Was Killed in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.