Religious Zionism party chairman Bezalel Smotrich has decided to add Maj. Gen. (res.) Yossi Bachar to the party. The party's statement said, "On the morning of October 7, he left his home in Kibbutz Be'eri, fought for hours against Hamas terrorists and helped defend the residents. Later in the war, he served as deputy commander of Southern Command and participated in planning and commanding the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Yossi Bachar is an Israeli hero, a man of settlement and security, who understands the importance of settlement to Israel's security." Bachar was commander of the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, commander of the Gaza Division, commander of the Galilee Formation and commander of the Paratroopers Brigade.