Monday marked 500 days of war.
500 DAYS
(קרדיט: ILTV)
Five hundred days since our world was turned upside down.
Let’s not forget how this war began.
It began on October 7th, when Hamas broke the existing ceasefire, committing the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
1,200 people—Israelis and nationals from countries around the world—were raped, tortured, and murdered.
Hundreds were taken hostage into Gaza.
Five hundred days later, 73 hostages remain in captivity, held in the darkest dungeons of Gaza.
Without food. Without sunlight.
Tortured. Injured. Their time is running out.
Hamas orchestrated and perpetrated these acts, but it was not alone.
Thousands of Palestinian civilians from Gaza also took part.
And one day after October 7th, Israel was attacked again—this time from the north, by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
And let’s not forget the Houthis, Islamic Jihadists in Iraq and Syria, and, of course, the head of the octopus—the Islamic Republic of Iran—which attacked Israel in the largest ballistic missile strike in history.
And throughout this seven-front war—throughout Israel’s existential war—the world was silent.
Silence from the United Nations.
Silence from many Western leaders.
Silence from human rights groups.
Silence from women’s rights groups.
Just silence.
And worse than silence—condemnations.
Condemnations from the UN. From kangaroo courts.
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets—not to call for the release of the hostages.
Not to demand that Hamas and Hezbollah surrender.
No.
But to accuse Israel of genocide. To call on Israel to stop defending itself. To lose this war.
And with these calls—and the weak leadership displayed by world leaders—came the rise of antisemitism.
The age-old phenomenon in a new form.
And Jews are once again being targeted around the world—simply for being Jews.
But despite all of this. Despite everything.
In these 500 days of war, the IDF and Israel’s security forces launched incredible operations—who can forget the Be’eri attack?
But these came at a heavy price.
Over 800 soldiers—brothers, sons, husbands, fathers—killed in combat.
We don’t forget their heroic sacrifices.
For the most part, Israel has stood alone.
It has had some help from allies—but not enough.
And 500 days later, we continue to see the strength of the people of Israel.
We see their resilience.
Israel is beginning to rebuild. To rehabilitate.
A change in leadership has finally brought the moral clarity that was so sorely lacking since October 7th.
Our allies—especially the United States, led by President Donald Trump—are standing alongside Israel unequivocally and demanding change.
Not from Israel, but from Hamas and its allies.
Demanding an end to the status quo that brought us to this day.
Five hundreds days in, we are in the midst of a ceasefire.
The Axis of Resistance is severely weakened.
But the war is far from over.
It will not end—we will not be able to move on—until Israel sees the return of all the hostages and Hamas is eliminated once and for all.
But 500 days later there is finally optimism.
And there is hope.