During a meeting on Wednesday with reservists from the Yiftah Brigade, President Isaac Herzog was presented with a picture found in Gaza showing the Eiffel Tower with a minaret replacing the top of the tower.
Herzog and his wife Michal met with the reservists who were returning from fighting in Gaza as part of the process of preparation for returning to routine civilian life.
The brigade has been primarily operating in the Issa neighborhood in western Gaza and the Shejaia refugee camp. They have been targeting underground tunnels and other terror infrastructure in those neighborhoods.
The fighters expressed their feelings to the president about returning home as well as the concerns of their families.
One of the reservists presented Herzog with a poster that he found inside a residence in Shejaia showing the Eiffel Tower with the spire of a minaret and, at the end, below it, a description explaining how Hamas will reach every home and every house. He also gave him another war document, which presents the broad intentions of Hamas.
Herzog calls for compassion for returning soldiers
The president called on employers and educational staff to be understanding and compassionate with returning soldiers, saying, "This is a process; there is no one moment you are a soldier and another moment you are a citizen returning to normal; it is a process."
Herzog also expressed concern for the mental health of returning soldiers, asking them "to talk, to express their feelings, express and tell about the pains, traumas, worries, and concerns." There has been a growing interest in helping the mental health of returning soldiers and providing them with an understanding and considerate environment to return to.
Herzog ended his discussion by thanking the reservists, "I want to say thank you for the fighting, the heroism, and the defense of the homeland, and I also thank the daughters and the spouses, the parents and the whole family."