The war in Israel has affected us all, from simply feeling sad to mourning loved ones lost. Everyone knows the facts of the war: over 1900 killed of which 250 were soldiers and the rest civilians, 4000 wounded, and 224 civilian hostages Did you know that not since the Holocaust have so many jews been killed in a single day? We interviewed a couple of students about the war in Israel and how it has affected them. Some students have family in Israel and watch Israeli news. Some students didn’t know that the Gaza Strip or Hamas even existed before this event.
One of the students we interviewed, Eitan Savion, was asked, “Do you have a family in Israel, and if so how has this impacted you?” He answered, “Yes I do have family in Israel, and it really impacted me. It made me sad and angry at the time.” One of the difficulties for those who have family in Israel is when the attacks began and people didn’t know if their loved ones were okay. When we asked Simon Dayan the same question he answered, “I do have family in Israel, but they are on the north side, but if they were in the south I would be very scared.”
One thing that has happened since the attacks is that the IDF is calling up volunteers from all around the world. In just 48 hours, the IDF called up 330,000 reservists and additional volunteers usually called once a year. While these are formally trained soldiers, they’re also everyday citizens like doctors and engineers. When we asked Eitan if any of his family got called up to the IDF, he said, “I do have second cousins that are brothers that were called to fight. Also, my oldest brother who’s 18 wanted to join the army but was not allowed because he’s in university.”
The real shock of these disturbing events for people who don’t follow Israeli news closely was the fact that some weren’t aware of Hamas or where the Gaza Strip was before the attacks. When we asked Simon if he had any idea what they were, he answered: “No I had no clue, because I don’t really follow where the dangerous places in Israel are. So, I didn’t know about Hamas or the Gaza Strip.” Personally, I never heard of the Gaza Strip or Hamas before the attacks. So how do you react when there is a massive attack and you’ve never heard of the attackers? It makes it more difficult when something as tragic as this happens so abruptly and without warning.
One more thing we asked the students we interviewed was how they felt about the pro-Palestinian rallies in major American cities. Simon said, “I just think that they’re wrong and should be more informed.” When we asked Eitan this question he answered, “Why attack Israel when Israel is innocent?
Fortunately, people around the world have stood up and supported Israel. This heartwarming video is U2 lead singer Bono changing the lyrics to his song Pride In The Name Of Love to the story in Israel. This, and many other things that have happened in the last 72 hours, show the strong unity which makes Israel special. As the saying goes, the light is darkest before dawn, Israel has become even more united through this tragedy. From girls singing to soldiers who just arrived to fight, to a man paying for the flight of any soldier he could find. This has put into greater light what makes Israel so special – unity.
I just want to take a moment at the end of this article to remember all the heroes who saved countless innocent lives and risked their lives to do so.
Thank you.
Joseph Krauss and Wafaa Shurafa “As strikes devastate Gaza, Israel forms unity government to oversee war sparked by Hamas attack” APnews.com Oct 11 2023
