The War Must Continue: A Response to Myself

This is the second of two essays I have written on Israel’s war in Gaza. The first cried out in grief, questioning the cost of continuing. This one responds from the other side of my heart — the side that fears what will happen if we stop. I do not claim to have all the answers, but I believe both voices deserve to be heard.

Another five soldiers have died. Their names and faces are now added to the heartbreaking list of over 670 Israeli soldiers killed since October 7th. More than 300 of those deaths have occurred during the ground operation in Gaza. Each is a tragedy, each a universe lost.

But stopping now would mean their deaths were in vain.

Because this is not a war Israel chose. It was thrust upon us — brutally, savagely — when Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 Israelis, raped women, beheaded civilians, and took 251 hostages, including babies and Holocaust survivors. Since that day, Hamas has launched tens of thousands of rockets, destabilised our borders, and continued to operate from beneath hospitals, schools, and UN facilities.

So long as Hamas remains intact, Israel will never be secure.

This is not a war of politics. It is a war of survival.

Critics say the war has dragged on too long. That we’ve lost too many children. The objectives are unclear. But the objectives were always clear:

• Eliminate Hamas’s military and governing capabilities
• Secure the release of the hostages
• Ensure Gaza can never again be used as a launchpad for terror

These goals have not yet been achieved. Yes, Hamas has been weakened, including many of its leadership, including Yahya Sinwar, exterminated. We await the release of 50 hostages, their condition unknown.

Pulling out now would mean accepting Hamas’s survival and signalling to our enemies — Iran, Hezbollah, ISIS — that terrorism works.

War is ugly. But an unfinished war is fatal.

If Israel stops short, we will not get a second chance. Every security expert worth their salt agrees: the day after Israel leaves Gaza without dismantling Hamas completely is the day before the next massacre. And next time, it will not stop at the border towns.

Hamas has stated — publicly and repeatedly — that they will do October 7th again and again until Israel is erased. When your enemy tells you their plan, you listen.

We owe it to the hostages. We owe it to the victims. And yes, we owe it to the fallen soldiers, whose sacrifice cannot be cashed in for half-measures and ceasefires that leave us more vulnerable than before.

The international community will criticize us. They already do.

But Israel’s responsibility is not to the court of global opinion. It is for its citizens, its future, and the survival of the Jewish people.

This war is not about conquest, not about revenge. It is about removing an existential threat that butchered our people and openly swears to do it again.

To those mourning, to those fatigued, to those crying “enough” — your pain is real. But let it fuel our resolve, not dull it. Because if we stop now, we are not ending a war. We are pausing one — and inviting its return, bloodier and bolder.

We grieve.
We rage.
But we go on.
Because we must.