After the party launch: Yoaz Hendel in a special interview with Oded Harush | Watch

Chairman of the "Miluimnikim" ("Reservists") party, Yoaz Hendel, presented today (Saturday) a structured vision regarding the need for deep change in the country's leadership following the events of October 7. Hendel, who grew up in Elkana in Samaria in a religious-Zionist home, moved away from a religious lifestyle over the years but emphasizes that he never moved away from the values and Jewish identity on which he was raised. After a long and significant combat service in the IDF, he turned to academia as a researcher of Zionist history, and later served as head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a position from which he resigned following severe disagreements.

During the Iron Swords war, Hendel served as a reserve officer in the IDF, an experience that sharpened his understanding that the concept of "managing the conflict" against Hamas terrorists had completely collapsed. According to him, the horrific massacre proved that the State of Israel can no longer contain terror threats, and it must return to thinking in terms of clear victory and powerful deterrence. Hendel also addresses the social rift that preceded the war and clarifies that both the judicial reform and the calls for refusal to serve weakened national resilience, something that was immediately exploited by our enemies who identified the internal weakness.

Out of a deep sense of responsibility of the generation of fighters, Hendel founded the "Miluimnikim" party with the goal of bringing to politics leadership of people who have proven themselves in the field and know how to work together. Hendel emphasizes that those who bear the security burden and sacrificed for the country must also take responsibility for its leadership, especially ahead of the complex challenges of the day after the war. According to his view, the most important national task now is the restoration of trust between citizens and the leadership and the rebuilding of social resilience, while understanding that internal arguments cannot become an existential threat.