Itzik Bonzel, whose son Sgt. Amit Bonzel Hy”d was killed in combat, spoke at the Arutz Sheva studio inside the Knesset during the “Gaza – The Day After” conference, where he voiced grave concern about Israel’s current security posture, Arutz Sheva reports.
Bonzel said the present reality echoes the period preceding the IDF’s entry into Rafah, warning that Hamas is regaining strength. “Hamas is strengthening, recruiting masses into its ranks, rebuilding the tunnels, preparing for the days ahead. We will pay a very heavy price in human lives for this,” he said, adding that Israel has no alternative but to resume fighting “in order to disarm Hamas.”
Responding to claims that the Israeli public is growing weary of the war, Bonzel dismissed the idea, saying, “You don’t want another October 7. I am not threatening or intimidating anyone. We know there will be another war someday. The Gaza issue must be resolved militarily. There is no other way.”
Turning to the situation in Gaza’s education system, he warned of long-term consequences. “Every child growing up today in Gaza is part of a generation that is still being brainwashed with the idea that Israel is the enemy and that Israelis are occupiers who want to kill us,” he said.
Asked about US President Donald Trump, Bonzel cautioned against overreliance on external leadership. “I do not see him as a great savior. We need to rely only on ourselves,” he said, while noting that coordination may still be possible. “The message is that we must rely on ourselves, only on ourselves.”
Bonzel was also asked whether Prime Minister Netanyahu has lived up to expectations. “Unequivocally. The Prime Minister has stood by all the commitments he made to us as the ‘Gvura Forum.’ We need patience. I absolutely trust him as the leader of the state,” he said, stressing that Netanyahu remains committed to the war’s goals. “He has not started wavering, he is not telling stories.”
On the question of establishing a commission of inquiry into the October 7 attacks, Bonzel said the structure of such a body is secondary to accountability. “The debate is not about which committee will be established. My mission is to bring to criminal justice anyone who is found responsible and guilty in this failed event of October 7,” he said.
He emphasized that his primary focus is on the military leadership. “There was a failure here in the IDF and Shin Bet, first and foremost,” Bonzel said. Addressing the public directly, he added, “I say to the people of Israel: I am not acting out of revenge, but if there are no personal conclusions and punishment for those responsible – you are next.”
Bonzel closed with a blunt warning, saying, “If they are not punished – you are next. You will lose your loved ones just as I lost my son Amit. There is no way this will not happen.”
he is not in the intelligence service so how can he know whats best, the intelligence community knows best.
Yes, the Intelligence community knows a lot – and quite a lot has been revealed to the general public, so now they know too.
Unfortunately, those in the Intelligence community face dire consequences (like home invasion and prison) if they actually do anything proactive for the good of Am Yisrael, as the home invasion, wrongful arrest, and imprisonment of Ari Rosenfeld showed.
Rafael Chayun tried his best to get the top-brass to listen to his warnings about the upcoming Gazan invasion. In response, they took away his Intelligence network and access, then banned him and threatened people not to speak with him at all. Those orders came from the then-Ramatkal Hertzi.
Finally, formerly high-ranking officials in Shabak and many brigadier-generals and colonels in the IDF have themselves said the failure came from those in charge within Shabak and the IDF.
Everyone (not just the Intelligence service) actually knows what’s best…except for those individuals at the top of the military and Shabak. Unfortunately, those top officials are the ones in charge of everything.
Bonzel’s idealization of and trust in Netanyahu, though well-intentioned, is misplaced.