Day 99 Of The War: October 7th As A Measuring Rod

Last week, IDF spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said that the war with Hamas has shifted to a less intense stage of combat, and then on Thursday he made a quite dramatic announcement, stating that he would stop his daily updates. Although I knew it was time, I felt anxious and somewhat abandoned. It may sound absurd, but with the absence of reliable and responsible leaders in the government and the coalition, together with the disappearance of the opposition, many Israelis regard Hagari as one of the few responsible adults around. We have come to rely on his daily updates as a source of matter-of-fact and even truthful information. Now, that too has been taken away.

On a personal level, the last couple of days have been somewhat difficult. On Thursday morning, while I was at work preparing meals for the soldiers, my life partner called to say that our house was wide open. As the house is on a busy road, I was sure that one of us forgot to lock the door. It took a minute to register that we had a break-in. I had to leave work in a hurry, and as I was walking to my car, I called the police. The receptionist took the details and immediately sent a police car, which arrived even before I did. As I was driving home, I imagined the worst-case scenario and all the hassle involved in putting my life back together. I was lucky; the damage was not great, and the police were especially helpful and professional. I couldn’t have imagined that, with the protest against the judicial overhaul, many of us lost our trust in the police.

Many of my friends claimed it was unfair that, while I was volunteering for our country, criminals broke into my home. Sadly, there is no connection between the two incidents. However, one thing is certain: what happened to our country and our society on October 7th changed everything, at least for the time being. At present, a break-in at my home seems like a very minor event. Our tragedy has become a measuring rod, and it didn’t take me long to think of the “lucky” evacuees who were left with nothing, and it only happened three months ago.

Tomorrow marks the 100th day since October 7th when innocent people were kidnapped from their homes inside the state of Israel and taken by Hamas to Gaza. With no end in sight, we Israelis must continue our protests for the immediate return of the hostages and the removal of Netanyahu and his corrupt government.