‘Only the IDF can protect us’: Gaza border residents protest deployment of BoP's Gaza force

Residents who lived through October 7 protested the International Stabilization Force (ISF)’s planned entry into Gaza, citing fears of renewed Hamas attacks.

Activists from the ‘Israel Envelope’ organization, together with residents of Gaza border communities, demonstrated near Amitai Camp adjacent to the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Tuesday, demanding that the entry of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) tasked with governing and managing the Gaza Strip be halted.

The protesters, some of whom were present in their communities during the October 7 massacre, asserted that only an Israeli security force can prevent a similar attack from occurring again.

"These forces [ISF] must not enter the strip. Allowing this is, once again, abandoning the local border residents," said Shosh Moshe from Moshav Yesha, who was in her community on the day of the massacre. "Only the IDF can protect us," she emphasized.

In addition to concerns about the presence of the ISF, residents expressed alarm over the return of kites launched from the Gaza Strip that landed in Israel last week, raising fears of future Hamas attacks on border communities.

"We will not allow others to protect us, while Hamas is celebrating the response to the kites inside the Strip," one protester remarked, explaining the motivation behind the demonstration.

The protest took place shortly after ISF vehicles began moving toward the crossing. Police officers and IDF soldiers established a security presence at the site, and ISF trucks returning after unloading at the Kerem Shalom Crossing were instructed to slow down to prevent harm to the protesters who temporarily blocked the road.

'Stop Hamas's rehabilitation'

The demonstrators carried Israeli flags and signs that read: "Stop Hamas's rehabilitation, ensure the security of residents in the South," "The roadmap is dangerous for Israel," and "Stop the entry of foreign forces into the Strip," among others.

"We are expressing the will of the people," one of the protesters said, adding. "Hamas must not be allowed to control the Strip, and the defense of the area must not be abandoned into their hands.”

"Every day, 600 supply trucks pass through here, and Hamas profits from them within a week, with direct funding going to terrorism. If we do not stop these aid trucks, this assistance to terrorism will continue," Yishai Spaz, a field director for the "Security for the Gaza Envelope" movement, stated.

"We will not allow Hamas to rebuild itself at our expense," he added.