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In an unusual and controversial move, Israel's Prime Minister’s Office instructed the army to deploy loudspeakers along the Gaza border to broadcast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s United Nations General Assembly speech live into the enclave Friday.
The Israeli army declined to comment, directing journalists to the Prime Minister’s Office, which has yet to issue a formal response. According to Israel’s KAN broadcaster, the mission was code-named “The Scream.”
Soldiers escorted trucks carrying large speakers to points near the Gaza border. The Prime Minister’s Office later stressed that the loudspeakers remained on Israeli territory and that Netanyahu had given “explicit orders” to ensure no soldiers were put at risk.
https://x.com/LishayLM/status/1971488520997879870
The move drew sharp responses from families of hostages still held by Hamas and parents of reservist soldiers, who accused the government of endangering troops needlessly. “Instead of speaking to the Gazans, I wish to speak to those who are yearning for a voice of hope — the hostages and the soldiers,” said Lishay Lavi-Miran, whose husband Omri was abducted on October 7, in a post on X.
Jerusalem Post reported that a reservist who participated in the mission told Israel’s i24NEWS it was “one of the most dangerous” of his life. “They woke us up in the morning for a mission to escort trucks with loudspeakers. We didn’t know the real reason; they just told us it was to move the population. It’s life-threatening. I truly risked my life,” he said.
Latest reports suggested that contrary to the Israeli PM Office’s statement, loudspeakers set to broadcast Netanyahu’s UN speech were placed inside the Gaza Strip, not only on the Israeli side of the border.
In New York, Netanyahu used his 14th U.N. address to stress the October 7 Hamas attacks and to counter a string of recognitions of a Palestinian state by several Western nations. He was expected to deploy visual aids during the speech and hold meetings with U.S. social media influencers, senior editors, and Jewish community leaders before attending a Sabbath service with his delegation.
On Sunday, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Jewish News Syndicate members, with a possible additional meeting with World Likud. On Monday, he travels to Washington for a White House meeting with President Donald Trump.
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