In Times of Crisis: Israelis Show Remarkable Unity, But This Time Takes a Surprising Turn
Israelis are expressing their frustration and seeking answers from the leadership amidst the ongoing crisis, demonstrating a departure from the usual rally-around-the-leaders response Janine Zacharia highlights this shift as bodies are still being recovered
I began receiving reports from friends in Israel on Saturday stating that the authorities were not fully disclosing the true number of partygoers who were tragically killed at an all-night rave near the Gaza border.
Janine Zacharia
Afterwards, grief-stricken family members started arriving at hospitals, sharing their last conversations with their missing loved ones on live television. One man, overwhelmed with sorrow, recounted how his brother told him, "Nissim, I am dying," before they lost contact. Several individuals mentioned hearing Arabic conversations shortly before the phone lines went silent.
At 10:02 p.m. on Sunday in Israel, a shocking headline appeared on the Haaretz news site, revealing that rescue workers had discovered an astonishing total of 260 bodies at the party location. By 11 p.m. that same day, the official count of Israeli casualties resulting from widespread massacres in just over one day had exceeded 700. Furthermore, Israel's Army Radio reported a minimum of 900 deaths on Monday.
These figures do not include the additional 100 civilians (including children and the elderly) and soldiers who were taken hostage, either alive or deceased, and transported to Gaza, as evidenced by video clips shared on Hamas Telegram channel. Nor does it cover the bodies of those still abandoned on the streets of Israel.
"This magnitude of the tragedy is unprecedented," observed Israeli anchor Udi Segal on local Channel 13, as the astonishingly vast scale of the catastrophe unfolded before our eyes.
Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The rockets were fired as Hamas announced a new operation against Israel.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Opinion: Did the Hamas attacks conceal a concealed objective?
Alon Ben-David, a seasoned Israeli defense correspondent for Channel 13, found himself at the center of the nation's anger, as news anchors bombarded him with inquiries regarding how the esteemed Israel Defense Forces and the country's widely regarded intelligence community could experience such a catastrophic failure. "We are projecting the image that we have everything under control. However, that is far from the truth," exclaimed journalist Gil Tamary.
There has never been a day in recent memory, if ever, where hundreds of Israeli civilians were killed. During the five-year period of the second Palestinian intifada from 2000 to 2005, approximately 1,000 Israelis lost their lives. Unlike in the case of kidnapped soldiers, there were no established means of communication with families because grandparents and young children had never been abducted before.
This attack is being compared to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which occurred almost 50 years ago, when Arab armies caught Israel by surprise. However, this current situation is even more traumatizing. The magnitude of the tragedy not only includes the deaths of numerous young civilians and soldiers but also the live unfolding of horror on television, radio, and social media. Additionally, the government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has faced months of protests by millions of Israelis against right-wing actions to undermine the judiciary, appears completely absent and ineffective.
Over the course of more than 20 years reporting on Israel, I witnessed a series of devastating events that shook the nation to its core. These included the tragic and shocking assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, the devastating collision of two Israeli air force helicopters in 1997 which claimed the lives of all 73 soldiers on board, intense rounds of conflict between Hamas and Israel, the outbreak of the second intifada, the harrowing Second Lebanon War, and the relentless wave of Palestinian suicide bombings that plagued the 1990s.
A woman and a child are being evacuated by police officers from a location in Ashkelon, southern Israel, that was struck by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip. The incident occurred on Saturday, October 7, 2023, coinciding with Hamas' announcement of a fresh operation targeting Israel.
The Hamas attack on Israel is unquestionably an act of terrorism. The constant stream of casualty counts and distressing images of the deceased reinforces this fact. However, unlike previous crises where the nation stood united in support of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and their leaders, the same level of solidarity is not being observed, at least for now.
The Israelis, known for their aversion to being seen as "freiers" (or fools), are experiencing a sense of powerlessness and devastation. They are demanding answers and expressing their frustrations towards the IDF leadership and Netanyahu, even before the recovery of all the bodies.
Standing outside a hospital, a mother passionately yelled into a microphone she had taken from a reporter from either Channel 13 or Channel 12 (I cannot recall as I anxiously switched between the two Hebrew-language channels for the latest updates). She tearfully explained that she had been searching for her daughter for a grueling 27 hours, emphasizing the absence of a functioning government and the lack of support, comparing the situation to Ukraine.
"I can't recall a situation like this," an exasperated news reporter from Channel 12 exclaimed while wearing protective gear outside Sderot, one of the cities most severely affected. "Even after forty-eight hours, the chaos remains, with families still reaching out to journalists for assistance."
Military officials who appeared on Israeli news broadcasts noted that Hamas' organized invasion resembled the systematic actions of an army. However, the brutal rampages evoke memories of traditional terrorist tactics such as the 1974 massacre in Kiryat Shemona, where 18 Israelis were killed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The tragic Passover massacre in 2002 at a Netanya hotel, during which 30 people were killed while celebrating seder, also comes to mind. I vividly remember the numerous suicide bombings in Jerusalem during the 1990s, including incidents like the Bus 18 explosions and the attack on Cafe Moment.
Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday, October 9.
Erik Marmor/AP
Six-month-old Sama Alwadia was saved from the debris in Gaza City on October 9. Despite surviving the initial attack, she unfortunately passed away during the course of receiving medical treatment for her injuries. [Photo credit: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images]
Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.
Oren Ziv/AP
A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.
Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank on October 9.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9.
Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.
Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/picture-alliance/AP
Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
Ramez Mahmoud/AP
A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Israelis view a damaged residential building in Ashkelon, Israel, after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on October 9.
Erik Marmor/AP
Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8.
Fatima Shbair/AP
A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Israelis inspect the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv on Sunday, October 8, a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.
Oded Balilty/AP
An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.
Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 8.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis, Gaza, that was destroyed by Israeli air strikes on October 8.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 8.
Ahmad Hasballah/Getty Images
Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon, Israel, on October 7.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
From the window of his family's apartment, a man surveys damage from a rocket that struck a parking lot in Ashkelon on October 7.
Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux
Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7.
Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters
Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP
Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.
Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli air strikes on October 7.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
An Israeli woman reacts over the body of her relative who was killed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 7.
Baz Ratner/AP
Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.
Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.
Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters
A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP
Palestinians inspect a destroyed building as emergency responders try to contain fires after Israeli jets bombed Gaza on October 7.
Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux
Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes.
Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images
Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP licensed
A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
A building in Tel Aviv is ablaze Saturday, October 7, following rocket attacks from Gaza.
Itai Ron/Reuters
Smoke rises as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue on the streets of Beit Hanun in Gaza on October 7.
Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.
Hadas Parush/Reuters
Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on October 7.
Fatima Shbair/AP
In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza
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Social media platforms are flooded with photographs of missing young Israelis, creating a disturbing virtual montage similar to the plastered images found at ground zero in Manhattan on 9/11. Meanwhile, broadcasters are providing updates from towns where security forces continue their search for Hamas gunmen, as well as hosting discussions featuring former military commanders debating the appropriate course of action.
Frustrated news anchors are expressing disbelief at what they have described as the IDF's relatively cautious initial response to the situation in Gaza, where almost 500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Military experts are urging patience as the IDF completes the initial phase of securing towns along the Gaza border, restocks weapons, and prepares hundreds of thousands of reservists and enlisted soldiers for a potential ground invasion.
Avi Dichter, the former head of the Israeli Shin Bet security service and a current member of the governing coalition, suggested in a somewhat ambiguous manner that he expects the Cabinet to have authorized the destruction of all Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's "military infrastructure."
But what is military infrastructure when Hamas took women and children hostages back to Gaza on motorcycles and golf carts?
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Israeli citizens survey the remains of a demolished structure the day following a rocket strike originating from Gaza in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, October 8, 2023. The militant Hamas regime governing the Gaza Strip executed an unparalleled, multifaceted assault on Israel early Saturday, simultaneously launching thousands of rocket projectiles while infiltrating numerous heavily fortified border areas through air, land, and sea deployments. This coordinated attack resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives and the capture of numerous individuals. Palestinian health authorities confirmed a significant number of casualties caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. (Photo credit: Oded Balilty/AP)
Opinion: The 9/11 attack cannot be considered an intelligence failure, but the same cannot be said for the Hamas attack.
According to former senior IDF commander Amir Avivi, Israel should take the necessary steps to dismantle Hamas and reoccupy the Gaza Strip, which was previously evacuated by Israel in August 2005. Avivi believes that Israel should have "complete freedom of movement" and not just rely on air offensives, in order to prevent a recurrence of the recent events. This reminded me of the 2014 conflict, when Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip and faced an ambush in the Hamas stronghold of Shejaiya. Tragically, 13 IDF soldiers lost their lives on that fateful night, causing great turmoil within the country.
The casualty toll from the reoccupation is expected to be extremely high for both sides, and it is uncertain if Israel can achieve its goal. However, the country seems determined to press on at this time. The main point of contention is not whether to send in ground forces, but whether negotiations for the release of hostages should take priority.
The Israeli public should not expect immediate gratification. There will not be a repetition of the legendary 1976 Entebbe rescue operation, where hijacked Israeli passengers were successfully rescued in Uganda. It is likely that the Israeli hostages have been scattered by now. Heartbreaking videos of their pleas for rescue will soon replace the sickening videos of their capture, further traumatizing a nation already devastated.
Over the past 36 hours, I have reflected on a conversation I had with a Hamas official when I worked as a journalist for The Washington Post in Gaza in 2010. During the interview, the official, who was dressed in a suit and tie, asked me about the perception of Hamas in America. In response, I suggested that most Americans are likely unfamiliar with Hamas, and if they are familiar, they might associate the organization with suicide bombings targeting Israelis, such as the infamous attack at a Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem. The official seemed surprised and argued that this perception of Hamas was outdated.
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Another memorable moment that often comes to mind is a humorous campaign video from 2015 featuring Netanyahu. In the video, he surprises a couple who are about to go out for the night by appearing at their door. With a witty touch, he declares, "You asked for a babysitter. You got the Bibi-sitter," humorously emphasizing that he is the only one capable of caring for their children.
However, times have changed. Netanyahu's leadership as prime minister has been deemed unsuccessful. His alliances with radical factions have brought about division within the Israeli nation, heightened tensions with the Palestinians, and effectively halted any prospects for peace.
Israel's leadership, under his supervision, has implemented a disastrous policy towards the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian population as a whole. Consequently, he will bear the blame for the most distressing event in Israel's past. Former Israeli air force commander, Eitan Ben Eliyahu, strongly emphasized the gravity of this situation and urged us to constantly bear it in mind.
