The small barbershop First Generation nestled in the Dorot Rishonim street along the bustling shopping strip of Ben Yehuda in downtown Jerusalem has a city-wide reputation for great haircuts that attracts a diverse clientele, including government ministers and a former prime minister.
The owner of the First Generation, Eli Aroes, has worked in the hair salon business for 40 years. Aroes traveled last week to southern Israel to volunteer to cut the hair of IDF soldiers who are expected to be part of a ground offensive to root out Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
“I volunteered for four hours, “ Aroes told The Jerusalem Post, adding that he gave over 30 haircuts to soldiers. “The soldiers I met were from an elite unit. They are highly motivated. They are ready for war. They went through very hard training. Now they are waiting for the command to enter.”
Aroes said “We have a strong army. We have a united nation. I really hope that our prime minister will be strong enough to enter Gaza and eliminate Hamas.”
Palestinians from Gaza "spat on the plate they ate from"
The war in the south of Israel has great meaning for Aroes, who was born and raised in the southern city of Ofakim.
He slammed the Palestinians from Gaza who “spat on the plate they ate from.” Aroes said “After they got an education from Israel—and we gave them jobs to work in the Kibbutzim—the Palestinians turned out to be very bad people.”
He added “They abused the babies, murdered children, and burned live people in a car. We will not forgive. Will not forget. We will go to war... until we kill Hamas.”
Aroes said “Now what remains to be done is that this government make a brave decision to enter with full force and destroy all the terrorist cells that are in Gaza who receive assistance from Iran and Hezbollah.”
According to Aroes, Hamas took the money funneled to them and “bought ammunition” with the cash.
Qatar’s Islamist regime has sent at least $1.5 billion dollars to Hamas over the last decade. Qatar has faced intense criticism over the years from counter-terrorism experts for funding Islamic terrorist movements—ranging from the Islamic State to Al-Qaeda affiliates to Hezbollah. In 2021, the Post reported that former Israeli president Reuven Rivlin delivered a dossier to president Joe Biden, stating Qatar funds the US-designated terrorist entity Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Aroes said “Hamas is taking advantage of the weak citizens by digging tunnels and abusing innocent civilians” in the Gaza Strip. “They put rockets into their houses against the will” of the residents. “They put rockets on hospitals and in all humanitarian locations. And they know how to do propaganda against Israel in the world.”
He continued that “Some countries are stupid who believe them. Israel has the most moral army in the world. We are not murderers and we do not decapitate babies.”
The Jerusalem Post and OneFamily are working together to help support the victims of the Hamas massacre and the soldiers of Israel who have been drafted to ensure that it never happens again.
Become a partner in this project by donating to OneFamily >>