Lapid exposes IOF underreporting of casualties; 12,000 since Oct. 2023

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
28 Oct 2024 18:40
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The Israeli occupation opposition leader accuses the Israeli occupation military of hiding the true casualty number.

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Israeli occupation opposition Leader Yair Lapid meets with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of NY, April 9, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington, US. (AP)

Around 12,000 Israeli occupation soldiers were either injured or killed since the beginning of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which later expanded into the West Bank and along the northern front with Lebanon.

"Eleven thousand soldiers were injured and 890 others killed," Lapid told Israeli Channel 12, underscoring that the number of dead and injured soldiers in the Israeli army will continue to increase if the leadership of the current occupation government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "doesn’t do anything."

“It cannot be said that this didn’t happen. It cannot be ignored that 11,000 soldiers are injured and 890 others killed,” Lapid exclaimed.

According to Quds News Network, Lapid emphasized that the military conceals the true casualty numbers, as he asserted, "There are limits to how much we accept the alternative facts,” adding that the figures that he provided are "correct".

Significantly, Lapid also revealed that "if you have any doubt about these data, you should go to the hospitals: Tel HaShomer, Ichilov, Rambam."

Lapid slams coalition for promoting ultra-Orthodox draft exemption law

In a different context, Lapid slammed the government for “promoting an evasion law” while Israeli servicewomen are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, he said, “With one hand [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu sends soldiers who have to fight and survive on the battlefield for the defense of the homeland, with the other hand he bribes his coalition partners, in order to survive politically."

“There has never been [and] never will be such a disgrace in the history of Israel. Such blatant discrimination between blood and blood. This disgrace must be stopped. We will fight this disgraceful law in the name of the fighters, in the name of the reservists, in the name of the wounded and dead, in the name of those who love this country,” he stated.

Anti-government protesters stage protest in Knesset: Israeli media

Earlier today, several Israeli anti-government demonstrators held a brief sit-in in the Knesset café, wearing masks of Netanyahu and other government ministers while zip-tying themselves to chairs.

The demonstrators, wearing masks depicting MK Aryeh Deri and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, among others, are protesting the government and demanding a captive deal.

The protesters clashed with Knesset guards as they were being removed, drawing a large crowd around them. Guards shouted at bystanders to stop filming as one resisting protester fell to the ground, taking two security officers down with him.

One woman raised her hands above her head as she was escorted away, displaying a pair of gloves stained red to symbolize blood.

This comes after the relatives of Israeli captives stopped Netanyahu on Sunday while he was giving an address in occupied al-Quds. Netanyahu stood immobile on a platform during the event, while audience members yelled and interrupted him for more than a minute.

Some protesters screamed, "Shame on you" and caused a scene, prompting Netanyahu to end his address shortly after it started.

According to Israeli media accounts, the event was initially planned without comments from family members of captives for fear of criticizing Netanyahu and his cabinet members.

Public and international pressure has mounted on the Netanyahu administration to do more to reach an agreement for the release of captives still in Gaza and end the aggression on Gaza, which many human rights organizations have warned is having catastrophic effects on the Palestinian population.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu emphasized that "Israel" is engaged in a "difficult existential war," bearing painful costs along the way.

Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant suggested that retrieving Israeli captives from Gaza "will require painful concessions from our part," noting that "not every objective is achieved through military action, and force is not a substitute for everything."

Netanyahu and Gallant's statements were preceded by remarks from Israeli military officials, who indicated that it may be time for the Israeli government to express readiness to halt the war on Gaza in exchange for the return of the captives.