From left to right at Tuesday's Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) New York gala: FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yitzhak (Jerry) Gershon, FIDF National Chairman Nily Falic, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benjamin Gantz, and FIDF Chairman Emeritus Arthur Stark. Photo: Shahar Azran.

JNS.org – Friends of the Israel Defense Forces raised $20 million on Tuesday at its annual national gala, held in New York’s iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel.

Some 1,400 guests from the U.S., Panama, and Israel attended the event.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz spoke at the event and thanked the organization “for choosing to stand by our side and open your hearts to our soldiers.”

Gantz also remarked on recent events, including the seizure of an illicit Gaza-bound arms shipment from Iran aboard the Klos C cargo ship.

“Terrorist organizations do not rest and are continuing their large efforts to smuggle weapons into Gaza,” Gantz said.