Israelis are still waiting to exhale
Only when the Hamas death cult is eradicated from the face of the earth, will Israelis be able to breathe again
Our hearts are broken.
The ceasefire “deal” failed to take into consideration the psychological toll the staggered release of hostages, both dead and alive, would have on the Israeli public and on Jews around the world.
The macabre circus choreographed by Hamas is designed to cause maximum pain to Israelis and gain the admiration of Palestinians and their sympathisers around the world. It most certainly has achieved its sadistic goals. Israelis have watched as tortured, skeletal, traumatised humans have been traded as commodities for the release of mass-murderers, many with the blood of dozens on their hands.
Each release has been more grotesque and distressing than the previous one, escalating to the ghoulish Bibas release and so-called “mistaken” body switch. Just when you think Hamas can’t stoop any lower, they do. As Israelis are experiencing what feels like death by a thousand cuts, anger is building and the demand for justice is pervasive.
For generations, the Jewish people have been subjected to horrific violence without the capability to respond. The frustration is that after thousands of years, we finally have one of the most powerful armies in the world, yet for over 16 months we have had to hold back on unleashing our full force, ending this disaster.
If it weren’t for the hostage crisis, the enemy would have been brought to its knees long ago, and no doubt Hamas knows this and will drag the current situation on for as long as possible.
But the clock is ticking. This situation is untenable. Israelis are filled with pain and white-hot rage. There is a consensus amongst Israelis that Hamas must be destroyed, with over 90 per cent agreeing that Hamas must be defeated in the battlefield. The only real debate is when.
If anyone thinks that the war is coming to an end, they are out of touch with Israelis’ determination and fury. I have not met a single soldier who isn’t willing and motivated to return to Gaza to “finish the job”.
What constitutes “finishing the job” is as yet unclear, but after 16 months of horrific violence, Israelis are still waiting to exhale, holding their breaths hoping and praying that this nightmare will finally be over. Only then, when the Hamas death cult is eradicated from the face of the earth, will Israelis be able to breathe again.
Anna Pasternak is the director of The AJN. She wrote this from Israel.
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