Margins loop through a harsh moment. They won’t be the same again; the country will not be the same. Amnon Ziv, an Israeli veteran living in one of the most punished towns near the Strip, in Ha-Otef, Israel’s closest region to Gaza, spoke with resignation after the darkest days in memory. His mood was somber, his outlook dim, and many citizens share that pessimistic view.
Nearby, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke to a group of soldiers visiting a detachment in the same region, saying, “We will establish ourselves here again in the southern towns of Israel. We will return to Kibbutz Beeri. The situation will be different in a few months. We will reoccupy even the last meter of the kibbutz.”
These statements echo the attitudes of a large portion of Israelis. Some align more with Ziv, others with Gallant, while still others hold space for both perspectives. The nation will feel altered for many generations, even as new generations emerge and the old guard fades. Healing the deep wounds of these days remains an ongoing process.
Cruelty and persecution
The brutality of Hamas is answered in part by the cruelty seen in the Israeli reaction. In the same address, Gallant told soldiers that restrictions on the military had been removed, implying a readiness to act decisively. The implication was clear to many: Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza are part of a broad, uncompromising response.
Many Israelis felt a jarring vulnerability, and comparisons to past atrocities surfaced in public discourse. Some drew parallels to the Holocaust, a founding moment in the Jewish state’s memory. The founding of Israel in 1948 is remembered by many as a gift from Western nations to a people rebuilding after the catastrophe of World War II.
Hamas’ brutal offensive began on the morning of October 7, aligning with a broader memory of historic surprise attacks. The events of Yom Kippur in 1973 are recalled as a moment when the nation faced a sudden, devastating challenge, and today those scars feel anew as a new chapter begins to unfold.
The most tragic day
The surprise element is another stark thread linking these eras. Last Saturday marked a day of rest for many, yet it was described as the most tragic since the Holocaust by some commentators. The events unfolded with a death toll and destruction that stunned observers and provoked relentless national introspection.
Footage captured the devastation at the Supernova desert music festival near Kibbutz Re’im in the Negev, where gunmen killed hundreds of revelers. Volunteers and rescuers worked to tally losses, and communities near Gaza mourned as news spread of families torn apart over the weekend.
What followed was a national conversation about accountability. Information about actions and inactions is still unfolding, and responsibility remains a matter for investigation after fighting subsides. The consensus is that mistakes were made and the consequences were severe and unprecedented. The shock continues to reverberate.
Public discourse reflected a deep division across the country. Evening news programs became focal points for debate, with audiences seeking to understand how events occurred, who should be held accountable, and what steps lie ahead. The contrast between perspectives in the media highlighted the widening gap in how different generations interpret the crisis.
On a public stage, veteran journalist Amnon Abramovich, known for representing traditional Israeli perspectives, confronted political leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s long tenure and the responsibilities tied to governance. A younger analyst, Amit Segal, offered a broader critique of the political class, arguing that responsibility lay with the entire leadership rather than a single figure. The exchange underscored a growing impatience among younger Israelis for explanations that feel overly complicated or evasive.
Generational dynamics appeared in the spotlight as well. Younger generations, often more focused on immediate concerns, sometimes miss the nuances that shaped earlier debates. This shift raised questions about how to balance history with the needs of a changing society, and whether current leaders can bridge the gap between tradition and modern realities.
A major polling firm faced scrutiny as exit polls in several elections produced results that diverged from actual votes. The explanation offered centered on the timing of the polls and the demographic patterns of voters on election day. The result was a reminder that statistical snapshots can be misleading if they fail to account for how and when people cast their ballots, especially across generations.
Security concerns
The sense of vulnerability has become a daily reality. The military, despite its size and strength, could not prevent the large-scale attack, leaving a wounded nation to confront a difficult path forward. The event left a lasting scar that will shape public discourse, policy, and security planning for years to come.
In recent years, some Israelis have pursued second citizenships, often in European or American countries. Ancestry linked to Jewish communities in Spain and Portugal has provided pathways to new citizenships for thousands of Israelis, even if some navigate these processes with less than perfect honesty. The trend underscores the fragility of national identity in a climate of fear and uncertainty.
Humor has emerged in conversations about the future, with jokes about a second passport serving as a metaphor for the unpredictable times. The question of what lies ahead remains central to daily life for many Israelis as they weigh the long arc of national security and personal safety against the desire for stability and normalcy.
Dream of Zionism
Zionist leaders once imagined a future free from the burdens of diaspora life, while many Israelis today share a similar anxiety about belonging and permanence. Some feel the Jewish state might not endure forever, imagining a future where diaspora communities again become central to Jewish life on the planet. For a portion of the population, this is not a distant fear but a present possibility that could reshape national identity.
There are those who believe that Jewish talents thrive under conditions of external challenge, arguing that the state is not guaranteed eternal life but a temporary arrangement with an expiration date. This outlook would provoke a profound shift in how Israeli society organizes itself and its relationship with the wider world. The stability of the two pillars of the state, its military and intelligence services, was shaken by Hamas’ attack, prompting questions about what reforms might be necessary to respond to unconventional threats.
In the aftermath, leaders of Hamas indicated that the organization was surprised by the strength of Israeli defenses and the speed of the initial response. The episode exposed gaps in planning and readiness, prompting discussions about how military and intelligence operations might adapt to future, less conventional wars. A broader concern emerged about the level of public awareness and the willingness of citizens to confront difficult truths about security, strategy, and the human cost of conflict. The national mood remained unsettled, with many reflecting on how parts of society prefer not to confront brutal realities, even though the army and the people are deeply entwined in daily life and the future of the state sits in the balance. [citation attribution]