Please read to the end and share broadly!!
As we attempt to absorb the horror beyond reckoning of the last few days, and face what is yet to come down the road, we Israelis are incredibly strong: united, determined, and confident of a final victory.
Let all the world see this reality as it is emerging.
An unprecedented 300,000 reserve soldiers have been mobilized.
They are coming not just willingly but with great resolve and sense of purpose. It is customary for soldiers who have completed their tour of military service to travel abroad for a bit. Now these reservists are rushing back as quickly as possible. In certain situations in which they found themselves stranded, a plane was sent to bring them back.
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A touching story that illustrates the determination of our young soldiers:
Uri Mintzer and Elinor Yosefin, who had planned to marry in due course, had both served in the army, and, having completed their tours of duty, were traveling in Thailand when Hamas began hostilities. They rushed home to rejoin their respective units. But they decided to first hold an impromptu wedding ceremony Sunday night, witnessed by just a handful of people. They then headed out to defend Israel.
May they have a long and happy life together.
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Everywhere within the country, people are eager to be of assistance. Teenagers offer to babysit in homes where a mother has been left alone with several young children. Others run errands for those not able to do so for themselves. Volunteers are making certain that saferooms are secure. Homes are opened for families that must flee the dangerous south. Outside supermarkets, young men are asking people, who comply gladly, to buy extra items that will go to the soldiers.
Tel Aviv’s top restaurants are preparing thousands of meals daily for the soldiers. In fact, there are non-kosher restaurants koshering their kitchens so they can provide food to all the soldiers.
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A major problem, obviously, is that the army is unprepared to fully supply and serve an additional 300,000 soldiers in the field on exceedingly short notice.
And so, I turn now to my recommendations for today on how people outside of Israel can help:
My first recommendation is the Yesha Council (the umbrella organization of all the local authorities in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley), which is working with American Friends of Judea and Samaria (AFJS). They have launched a fundraising campaign to provide our troops with the emergency tactical gear they need, as soon as possible: protective helmets, ceramic vests, and more.
Donate via: https://afjs.org/emergency-campaign/
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And then, Yad Ezra v’Shulamit is seeking support to send food and drink into the field immediately:
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While we have no doubt about the fact that we will in the end be victorious, at the moment the nation is reeling.
Reeling because there are close to 1,000 dead (the number has increased as more bodies have been found).
Among the 1,000 are some 125 soldiers. Counted among this number is Cpl. Netanel Young, a 20-year-old lone soldier from London who served in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion. In the course of his funeral, Sunday, on Har Herzl, a siren sounded and those in attendance had to seek cover.
Also counted among the 125 soldiers lost is Roey Weiser, 21, of Efrat, who was a sergeant in the Golani Brigade. Roey was defending the border on a base near the Erez Crossing when it was overrun with terrorists.
“According to the few survivors of the battle, Weiser took it on himself to try and distract the armed terrorists from behind but was killed while engaging the enemy.
“Through his actions, at least twelve soldiers were able to escape.”
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/idf/efrat-loses-another-son-to-terrorism/2023/10/10/
Reeling also because there are people still missing, and over 100 captives, including children – mere babies!! – being held in Gaza. Ofir Engel is one of those in captivity.
And reeling because of stories of torture. When a search and rescue team liberated communities near Gaza that had been held by the terrorists, they came to Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Finally able to get in after a day-long battle, they discovered roughly 40 babies and young children had been brutally torn apart – most of them with their heads cut off.
When rescue workers made it to the small farming community of Be’eri, they found 100 bodies. The terrorists filmed the execution of civilians as they begged for mercy, the beating and taunting of captives, the torching of homes with families inside.
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I tell my kids that I am filled with tears inside but don’t cry because I am afraid that if I begin, I will not stop. A granddaughter who was here today says I’m doing fine. I would like to think so, but…
You are functioning, she says. You are fine.
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The situation is surreal and continues to shift from hour to hour. The news is not always bad. Sometimes missing persons are located alive.
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IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said this morning, (Tuesday) that 1,500 bodies of Hamas terrorists have been found in Israeli territory in recent days. This does not necessarily account for every single terrorist that came over the Gaza border on Saturday, but it certainly comes very close. The army is gaining control of the south of the country and the border with Gaza.
At least some of the families of Sderot, which is just on the border, have been moved to secure temporary locations.
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Since Saturday we have been doing extensive bombing of Hamas sites in Gaza and will continue. Before any ground war commences, there is likely to be a maximum effort to soften Hamas by air.
In addition, Gaza is now under siege, with nothing going in – not food or electricity or water.
The majority of the reserve forces will be brought to the border with Gaza, in anticipation of that ground war. There seems no question but that a period of some days will be necessary to set plans in place. I would not presume to speculate on how many days. But a period during which the troops are not yet sent in does not signal a decision not to proceed.
Some number of the reserve troops will be stationed in Judea & Samaria, in anticipation of violence there, while other troops will be stationed in the north.
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The situation at the Lebanon border remains fragile.
Yesterday, the Deputy Commander of the IDF’s 300th Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Alim Abdallah, from a Druze village in the north was killed by infiltrators from Lebanon; two other soldiers were killed with him.
Two of the infiltrators were killed and one returned to Lebanon.
A smattering of rockets and mortars that came out of Lebanon were attributed to Palestinian groups such a Islamic Jihad. But tonight (Tuesday) Hezbollah took responsibility for firing anti-tank missiles across the border with Israel.
Biden’s support in this regard should not be minimized. He recently issued a warning that any party “hostile” to Israel should not take advantage of the current situation. In addition, as I have previously mentioned, he ordered a carrier strike group into the eastern Mediterranean.
Now, just moments ago as I write, Biden delivered remarks to the nation for which he is to be highly praised (emphasis added):
“There are moments in this life, I mean this literally, when the pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world. The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend.
“The bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas, a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews. This was an act of sheer evil…
“In this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel, we stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/378256
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Biden’s support, and the support of other US government officials, is of considerable importance.
As I have indicated before, there is a cynical unease here in Israel that when the going gets tough, those happy to support us at first begin to reverse themselves. I will be dealing with this in considerable length as we go forward.
But I want to ask my readers to begin to lend assistance in this respect. If you take it upon yourselves, and enlist everyone else you can, and persist, it can make a difference:
[] Share this posting, or the significant information it contains regarding Hamas atrocities, as broadly as possible. People must not forget for a moment what our enemy is like. Use social media platforms.
[] Take the pains to thank President Biden and to make it very clear that you trust that he will hold strong with Israel for the long run, not just in this moment. An election is coming, and he must understand that the voters are watching him on this issue.
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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
