Leah Harris, a mother of five IDF combat soldiers and mother-in-law to two reserve soldiers, is speaking out forcefully against what she calls government failures that put soldiers’ lives at risk in Gaza.
Harris, a spokesperson for Mothers of the IDF Combat Soldiers Organization, has addressed the Knesset multiple times, urging leaders to take harsher measures against Hamas and push for a decisive victory in Gaza. She argues that soldiers and their families are bearing unbearable sacrifices while the government lacks a clear plan to win the war.
“The lives of our soldiers must always take precedence over the lives of our enemies,” Harris told Alan Skorski in a recent interview.
Harris described how her family has been stretched thin since the war began. “Why is it ‘normal’ and acceptable that so many of my grandchildren need therapy now, because their fathers haven’t been home for much of the last two years?” she asked lawmakers earlier this month. She noted that one son completed 460 consecutive days of reserve duty, leaving behind his wife, children, and business.
Her son-in-law is currently serving in Gaza through the Jewish holiday season, and Harris said his frustration reflects that of many soldiers on the ground. “I’m willing to do this,” he told her, “but did I really leave my wife and children in order to provide security for those endless trucks going straight into the hands of Hamas, and putting me and my fellow soldiers in danger?”
She added that soldiers are often restricted in their ability to engage. “Even when we see the armed Hamas terrorists taking over the trucks, we’re not allowed to shoot them, unless we have written orders from above.”
Harris said her appeals have been welcomed by right-wing lawmakers, including members of Likud, but that she has faced hostility from others, particularly Yesh Atid MKs.
On the sensitive question of balancing military victory with hostage negotiations, Harris acknowledged divisions. Some hostage families, she said, believe defeating Hamas must come before anything else, while others insist the release of their loved ones should take priority.
Harris and her organization continue pressing the government to adopt a strategy that prioritizes victory, warning that anything less is a betrayal of the sacrifices being made daily by soldiers and their families.
