The first speaker was outgoing president Rivlin, who said during his speech that "Our enemy is a cruel, extremist terrorist organization that does not pay attention to the welfare of the people of Gaza. It holds them hostage." "Not anymore!" Rivlin exclaimed. "Gone are the days when Hamas opened fire and decided when things will be silent. When necessary, the IDF will strike our enemies with a hard and decisive blow.""Terrorist organizations must understand that whoever opens fire on us will be met with the full firepower available to our forces with determination and responsibility," Rivlin added."It is the responsibility of the State of Israel to protect its residents," Rivlin said. "We are committed to returning the bodies of IDF soldiers [Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul] as well as the citizens Avera Mengistu and Hisham a-Sayed, who are being held captive by Hamas."He told the families that "You have paid the most expensive and painful price possible. There is no cure for your pain. Seven years ago, while the country was in flames during Operation Protective Edge — the operation that changed your life and turned your world from end to end — I began my position [as president] on behalf of the citizens of Israel.""I visited your homes. I got to know your loved ones only after they were gone. You told me about them. About their loves and their dreams. Together we watched pictures and videos. And I swore then to sanctify their memory," Rivlin concluded.Rivlin was followed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who before the start of his speech was interrupted by one of those present in the audience, Meir Turgeman - a bereaved father, who criticized him for his role as a cabinet member during Protective Edge."Why did you enter Gaza, why did you not bomb from the air? You are among those who pushed Netanyahu to enter Gaza," Turgeman also erupted at the sight of opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, shouting towards him that "My son was killed because of you!""Our position is clear, our rivalry is not with the population of Gaza, and we do not hate those who are being held hostage by a terrorist organization," Bennett said at the beginning of his speech."We will not tolerate this slow drip of violence. Our patience has run out, the residents of the Gaza Strip are not second class citizens. "Our shift and our commitment is where we sent the boys in. We will work resolutely, so we can say and boys are back to their limits," Bennett said."We will do our best to bring them home," Bennett said of the kidnapped citizens and the bodies of Goldin and Shaul. "Now it is our shift and our commitment, we were there when we sent the boys inside. We will act resolutely so that we can one day again say that the boys have returned to their borders, "Bennett said."Today, more than ever, we are required to strengthen the fabrics that bind us all into a single nation. To prove in our actions to the younger generation that it is possible to work together. Without being deterred by differences. We have different opinions and that's okay.""Unity is the key word. Unity is what this time calls for," Bennett added.Defense Minister Benny Gantz then spoke, referring to the case of which Itzik Saidian, a post-traumatic veteran of the 2014 operation who set himself on fire in front of the Defense Ministry in protest earlier this year."We as a system have failed in treating Itzik Saidan," he said. "We are committed to making every effort to help everyone who is injured in battle."Regarding cooperation with Palestinians, Gantz said that "We are working to bring long-term peace, to strengthen the moderates and the Palestinian Authority and create a better reality for our neighbors in Gaza.""If Gaza wants to change things, this is the way to go," Gantz said."We have a duty not to forget and not to stop acting. We must not hesitate to use all available means in order to bring the captives home," he said, also referencing a-Sayed, Mengistu, Shaul and Goldin.עכשיו: טקס האזכרה הממלכתי לקורבנות מבצע #צוק_איתן בהשתתפות רה"מ @naftalibennett, יו"ר האופוזיציה @netanyahu והנשיא הנבחר @Isaac_Herzog https://t.co/IM38cRnpEf
— ערוץ כנסת (@KnessetT) June 20, 2021
Bennett, Netanyahu attend memorial service for 2014 Gaza War - Watch
"We are working to bring long-term peace, to strengthen the moderates and the Palestinian Authority and create a better reality for our neighbors in Gaza," Defense Minister Benny Gantz said.
