11/10/2023
What happened in Israel’s southern towns and kibbutzim on Saturday is as horrific as it is incomprehensible. Hamas carried out a very well-planned and well-coordinated attack involving both rockets and infiltrations from the southern border using tactics and technologies supplied by Iran. They managed to knock out the border defense systems and kill everyone charged with guarding the border. Once they had achieved this, Hamas operatives crossed into Israel in pickups and on motorcycles and fell upon the populace like wolves. In the kibbutzim across the border from Gaza they went street by street, house to house, murdering almost everyone that they came across. The only people.they left alive were those they abducted as hostages and took to Gaza as part of their campaign of psychological warfare against Israel. Imagine your children being abducted by terrorists and held in captivity - it’s a hell unimaginable for most people.
At an outdoor party in a kibbutz close to the border with Gaza teenagers found themselves surrounded on all sides by assailants using any and all means to kill them and take hostages. Several Israelis did try to fight back - they picked up any weapons that they could find and they fought, many to the death. Tragically, most were killed, wounded or worse - abducted. Hundreds of dead bodies were found on the site later, some showing signs of having been sexually abused. How many of those wounded will make it through and how many will not - nobody knows. So far, we know that at least 900 people have been murdered, the vast majority of them civilians, many of them women and children.
So, what is left for Israel to do? Israel has to fight back because it is fighting for its life now. Our enemies are watching to see what we do. Hamas is watching, hoping that the hundreds of Israeli civilians that it has captured will weaken Israel’s resolve to act. They doubtlessly have planned many traps for Israeli soldiers should Israel go in on the ground. They know that Israel is going to retaliate and maybe that’s the scariest thing of all - they just don’t care about endangering their own populace. Because that is how great their hatred is. They are more than willing to sacrifice their own people in the name of this hatred.
Israel cannot fail to act now. That is not a possibility. This is our moment of truth. Our enemies are hoping that in our pain, sadness and confusion, we will be paralyzed. But we cannot be paralyzed now, we must act. The consequences of Israel’s defending itself will be great. Many people will die. Israelis will die. Palestinians will die. There will be suffering on both sides. But this kind of attack,unprecedented not only in the scope of its planning and implementation but also in terms of its maliciousness and inhumanity, must not go answered and these crimes must not go unpunished. That would be fatal for Israel. So I ask you to stnad with Israel in its hour of need. Today Israel is tasked with rising up to the terrorist menace. Who knows whose turn it will be tomorrow?
Stand with Israel!!!
