BY MOSHE HILL OPINION COLUMNS JANUARY 17 2024
The 100th day of the war against Hamas came and went, allowing those who are supporting Israel’s right to retaliate against its attackers to take a moment to mourn what was lost and appreciate what was accomplished.
Despite what the Jew-haters believe, this is not a war that Israel, or anyone in the West, wanted. In fact, the only ones who want war are the ones in the streets chanting for Israel to stop fighting so Hamas can re-arm and re-attack Israel. That’s why they can unironically chant “ceasefire now” and “globalize the intifada.”
In the 100 days since October 7, Israel claims that the IDF has eliminated over 9,000 terrorists, two of five brigade-level commanders, 19 battalion-level commanders, and 50 company commanders of Hamas. The IDF says that Hamas has approximately 30,000 fighters. Around 2,300 suspects have been detained for interrogation.
Despite claims that Gaza is full of innocents who just want a ceasefire, rocket attacks and terrorist attacks against civilian populations have consistently occurred. Over 9,000 rockets launched from Gaza have landed inside Israel, with thousands more falling short and hitting Gaza. Just this week, a terrorist in Ra’anana conducted a car-ramming and stabbing attack, killing at least two people and injuring 17 more.
The IDF has also struck sites in the North, where Hezbollah and Syria have been launching rockets, prompting mass evacuations by Israelis in that region. The IAF have attacked around 750 targets in response to over 2,000 missiles coming from Lebanon.
Israel’s social security service, Bituach Leumi, recorded that 779 civilians have been killed and over 50,000 injured starting from October 7. Over 1,960 of those are considered “recurring victims,” people who have been previously injured in terrorist attacks that were injured again.
A lot has been learned about the world in the last 100 days, and how much Jew-hatred actually exists. The attacks on October 7 emboldened millions of people to show how much they want the Jewish people to cease existing, in levels that have not been seen since 1945. More anti-Semitism has occurred in the last 100 days than in the previous 50 years, and it’s not particularly close.
The UNRWA, the group that has been keeping Palestinians as refugees since 1949, had over 3,000 of its members in a telegram group that actively celebrated the October 7 massacre. UN Watch uncovers some of the messages, including UNRWA teacher Waseem Ula sharing a post of a suicide bomb vest wired with explosives, with the caption: “Wait, sons of Judaism.”
UNRWA teacher Abdallah Mehjez explicitly called on civilians not to heed IDF evacuation orders and instead remain as human shields for Hamas, and UNRWA teacher Shatha Husam Al Nawajha responded to a message from a colleague who wrote, “They breastfed jihad with their mothers’ milk,” by adding “May Allah grant them victory.”
The lessons of October 7 have not been learned by the West yet. Complacency in the face of evil leads to atrocities, and the West has gotten more complacent, not less, in the last 100 days. Cities are being overrun with terrorist supporters, with police departments having their hands tied by District Attorneys and city leadership who are either unwilling to prosecute or ideologically aligned with the Hamasniks. Ships were allowed to be attacked for weeks by Houthi pirates operating out of Yemen before a strike occurred in retaliation. When that strike did happen, the Hamas Caucus of Congress were up in arms over what Biden is and isn’t allowed to do. Iran is now striking American bases, believing that Joe Biden is too feckless to exhibit strength in a crisis. (It doesn’t help that the Secretary of Defense is lying to his boss about his health.)
Anyone who hoped that this war would end when the calendar turned to 2024 was sorely mistaken. Anyone who thought that the cold weather would dampen the enthusiasm of the terrorist sympathizers in our midst have grown more pessimistic. Our support for Israel must increase, as well. In the weeks and months following October 7, the Jewish people in America organized with donations, both financially and with goods, and with rallies of support. This cannot end. As long as Hamas is standing, Israel is fighting; and as long as Israel is fighting, American Jewry must lead the charge in supporting her. Even if 100 days turns into 1,000 days, our commitment to Eretz Yisrael must not waver.
