With Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” underway since the beginning of the week, the Knesset’s Subcommittee on Foreign Policy and Public Diplomacy convened this morning (Thursday) to discuss the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its implications for the war. Among the speakers was Lt. Col. (res.) Tomer Brook, former commander of Battalion 8149, who was wounded several months ago during combat in Jenin. Speaking on behalf of the newly established Forum of Wounded Soldiers, Brook shared insights from the battlefield in Gaza and argued for a shift in strategy before the next ground maneuver.
“We want to make sure we’ve done everything to prevail”
During his remarks, Brook described the cruelty of the enemy. “My comrades and I fought on the frontlines—up north, in the south, and around the Gaza envelope. I saw it with my own eyes, so I don’t need anyone to explain who or what we’re dealing with. I even apprehended children—six- and nine-year-olds—carrying knives, sent to murder Jews. We’re at a critical moment before another major escalation. We need to be sure our blood wasn’t spilled in vain, that we did everything to win, to bring back the hostages who are now rotting in Hamas captivity.”
“Let us bring the hostages home. Let Hamas fall to its knees”
Brook called for a dramatic shift in how Israel defines military success. “Until now, we’ve focused on security theater—shallow raids, half-measures, operations that don’t go all the way. In the end, we’re presenting a ‘picture of security,’ not real protection for the people of Israel. This is a moral obligation.”
“As someone from the Gaza envelope, someone who fought there, who was devoted to protecting those communities, I tell you this—you have a responsibility to provide real security, not a façade. Anything short of the truth is a burden we all carry—every citizen of this country. That’s why I urge you to do everything you can to enter this war and finish it. There must be a clear end.”
“We expect this mission to be completed from start to finish. And if the time comes and Hamas continues to ignore our appeals—our desire to resolve this—then so be it. Unleash the full force. Let us bring the hostages home. Let Hamas fall to its knees. The sooner the better. We, the reservists, the wounded—those who return, who rehabilitate, who fight hard—we spilled our blood so this nation could rise again. We spilled our blood so the hostages could come home. If you can’t finish the job as it must be done, then we have a very serious problem,” Brook warned.
“No place for petty politics—we are brothers”
Brook ended his remarks with a call for unity. “There’s no reason to argue. No room for petty politics—we are brothers. On the battlefield, we are brothers. It doesn’t matter if the person next to you is from Kaplan or Bibi’s base, from a settlement, a kibbutz, or a moshav. It’s irrelevant. Watch my back. Cover me. That’s what we, the wounded, ask from the State of Israel. Look at us. Don’t let our blood be for nothing.”
Brook came to the Knesset as part of the Forum of Wounded Soldiers, formed in recent days and uniting hundreds of IDF veterans wounded during combat across multiple fronts. Just last night, the forum sent a letter to the Prime Minister, government ministers, the IDF Chief of Staff, and General Staff leadership, declaring that the war must end with one outcome only—total victory. The letter was signed by over 250 wounded soldiers, who wrote: “Ending the war without total victory means our blood was spilled for nothing.”
