Itai Steinmetz (25), a combat medic who has served about 300 days of reserve duty since October 7, spoke at the protest rally in Habima Square in Tel Aviv and said that "we were required to become 'a nation of superheroes.' We are required to go from 0 to 100 so many times that it seems we have forgotten what life in a properly functioning country looks like, in a country where the purpose of a war is to stop fighting." According to him, "Our leadership thinks we live here to fight forever for their seats, they are completely confused. Their job is to do everything they can so that we don't need to fight anymore."