Since October 7, Israel has been facing a reality it has never known. For the first time since 1948, the radical Islamic enemy has succeeded in penetrating civilian communities inside the country, thereby undermining the security of most Israeli citizens.
The attrition that Hezbollah has begun to conduct simultaneously along the northern border, and the possibility that a second front will be opened there against an organization equipped with tens of thousands of missiles, does not add to the rebuilding of the sense of security of most Israeli citizens.
After the massacre and fierce battles: Israel Hayom commentator Yoav Limor on a tour of the communities near the Gaza Strip
In the process, the residents of the envelope are revealing their greatness. Both with regard to the personal courage they showed during the fighting, as well as community cohesion and the striving to return to their land.
At the same time, there is also an astonishing wave of volunteering by private civic organizations, as well as by former protest organizations, which are working with all their might to address many gaps in the lives of residents who were evacuated from their communities.
The destruction in Bari, photo: AFP
In contrast, those who hardly attended the first week after Black Sabbath were representatives of government ministries. The expectation that they would stand before the heads of the communities and study the needs of each and every locality and of the entire region was not fulfilled at all.
At the national level, the threat of deterioration into two-front fighting is still alive and well, and should not be taken lightly. As much as Israel can, it must focus on the Gaza front and avoid opening another front at the same time. This is despite the fact that in contacts with the IDF in recent days, it seems that it is converging on the right troop spirit.
If Israel is forced to fight on one front or two, it is clear that rehabilitating the communities on the conflict line is the challenge of the day after.
The destruction in the village of Gaza. Hell on Earth, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
The mobilization of Israelis from across the spectrum to volunteer in every possible way is encouraging, but the conspicuous absence of the Israeli government is extremely worrying. This does not refer to ministers and MKs – they were not visible at all in the days after the fighting – but rather to senior state officials, whom the evacuated residents have been expecting to see and hear since they were evacuated.
Preparing the renewal in the envelope and implementing it when security conditions will allow is not only important from the civilian aspect, it is also of significant importance from the security-strategic aspect. Our enemies must know that the evacuation of the settlements is temporary, and that Israel and its government intend to give the renewal of the region a national priority, both civilian and security. This is one of the main steps required to restore Israeli deterrence and the good old Zionist principle of holding on to the land.
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