The Prime Minister�s Office announced Friday that Benjamin Netanyahu�s speech to the United Nations General Assembly will be blasted into Gaza through loudspeakers placed along the border � an unusual move that is provoking criticism from the military, families of hostages, and soldier advocacy groups.

In a statement, the PMO said civilian agencies were instructed, �in cooperation with the IDF,� to mount loudspeakers on trucks �on the Israeli side of the Gaza border only,� so as not to expose soldiers to danger. The broadcast, described as part of a �public diplomacy effort,� is set to air at 4 p.m. Israeli time, when Netanyahu is expected to rail against Western recognition of a Palestinian state.

The clarification came after morning reports claimed the IDF had been told to disperse trucks with sound systems inside Gaza itself � an idea that drew internal opposition. According to Channel 12, senior officers argued the plan would endanger troops by sending them into areas vulnerable to Hamas fire. �It�s an insane idea,� one officer told Haaretz. �No one understands what military benefit there is here.� Still, the paper reported, the army is preparing to carry out the directive and sees the initiative as psychological warfare.

Photos shared on social media by Kan�s military correspondent showed loudspeakers mounted on military vehicles, with the 99th Division reportedly preparing to transmit Netanyahu�s speech.

The move ignited immediate backlash from soldier advocacy groups. �How long will you use our sons for your personal campaign?� declared Ima Era, a protest group representing mothers of combat soldiers. �They are not just extras in your war movie frame. The responsibility for their lives is in your hands. You must not give in to this madness.�

Families of hostages also condemned the plan. Lishay Miran-Lavi, whose husband Omri remains in Hamas captivity, challenged Netanyahu directly on social media: �Instead of to Gazans, I�d like you to speak to those who crave a voice of hope � the hostages, and the soldiers.� She pleaded for her message to be relayed to captives: �We have no intention of giving up. Will you agree?�

Anat Angrest, whose son Matan is among those still held in Gaza, accused the prime minister of inflicting �psychological abuse� on the captives. �Every sentence other than �I came to the U.S. to sign a deal that will return everyone home� shatters their hope,� she wrote.

The controversy comes as hostage relatives and survivors gather in New York to protest Netanyahu�s address, demanding a deal to secure the release of 48 people still held in Gaza. Israeli authorities have declared 26 of them dead, including a soldier killed in 2014. The rest were abducted during the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, which set off the current war.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)