Brit milah for nephew of fallen soldier held at Valor Forum Knesset encampment

A brit milah for the nephew of a fallen soldier was held on Tuesday morning at the Knesset-adjacent encampment of the Valor Forum, the group announced. 

The Valor Forum represents 315 families of soldiers who fell in battle in Gaza and Lebanon. 

The baby, named Eitan Israel, is the nephew of Staff-Sergeant-Major (res.) Gilad Elmaliach, age 30, was killed in southern Lebanon on October 26.

Eitan Israel was born the day after the family completed shiva for Elmaliach, which prompted the family to hold the bris at the encampment, the Forum stated. 

Elmaliach was a resident of Jerusalem and left behind a wife and five children, the Valor Forum said. 

"We felt that this was not a private joy, so we decided to hold the bris in this place," Efrat Spiegel, Gilad Elmaliach's sister and the mother of Eitan Israel, stated. She explained that her baby's name symbolizes her brother's heritage. 

This was the fourth brit milah to take place at the Valor Forum's encampment, which was established over six months ago. 

What does the Valor Forum advocate for?

The Valor Forum represents a group of bereaved families pushing for more military pressure and for "total victory" against Hamas. 

Members of the Forum believe that the war's end must include Israel's security control over the Gaza Strip and that any agreement that relinquishes control cannot be legitimate. 

The Forum's motto is "In their deaths, they commanded us victory," a reference to the phrase "In their deaths, they commanded us life."

Eve Young contributed to this report.