Some of The Brave Have Fallen!

Today the IDF announced that the IDF has lost almost 600 soldiers since October 7th.. These losses include those fallen among the 1200, mainly civilians, who were lost on that date in October. IDF soldiers were also slaughtered then, outnumbered, out-gunned and out-maneuvered, while doing their best to resist the onslaught. The war with Hamas has been costly for Palestinian civilians, behind whom Hamas hides, imbedded in every public place. There are no reliable figures for those losses. The IDF has estimated that Hamas has lost nearly 10,000. Civilian deaths are thought to be 1.5 times that number.

With Hamas’ death-cult view of life, fighting has been bitter. Individuals Hamas terrorists were willing to sacrifice their own lives as booby traps to take Israeli soldiers with them. Now, however, we have been seeing Hamas terrorists surrendering in their hundreds. The war will end the moment that all Hamas followers surrender. Some in the Palestinian public, taking courage from Hamas’ losses, has begun voicing their opposition to the Hamas rule that has brought this catastrophe upon them. Israeli efforts to avoid civilian deaths have cost IDF soldiers’ lives.

We are now approaching day 120 of the war. Hamas supporters abroad, some of whom have been seen even in the U.S. Congress, are campaigning for a ceasefire so that Hamas can survive. Israel is committed to the eradication of Hamas as a governing force in the Gaza strip. They were estimated to have in excess of 30,000 recruits, in addition to those with membership in Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups in the territory. Meanwhile some 130 captives remain, in daily risk of death and torture. The Israeli public is increasingly restive in the failure of its government to find an avenue for their freedom with the intransigent terrorists groups seeking to survive.

The War has awakened the fervor of those who support anti-Semitic ideas. Jewish communities around the world are newly appreciating that they on the front line in this war wherever they are. There have been casualties far from the front lines.

Those who favor freedom and liberty are being alerted as well. They can see in the actions and speech of Hamas supporters the inherent threat to their own freedom and liberty in their own lives, in all the places where these forces are campaigning in public. Some of their very own leaders are being exposed for what they really are, a fifth column in support of chaos and anarchy in their midst.

Israel is being forced to confront the need to establish a governing structure for Gaza even while the pacification project is not complete. In the North, a resurgent Hamas has appeared to be re-installing an administrative structure. Israel will be tasked to install its own to prevent their resurgence.

Israel will have to resist efforts by other actors to impose a Palestinian Authority regime for the day after. Their bankruptcy of leadership has been evident in its continued encouragement sectarian violence, its indoctrination of the young to murder Jews, and its failure to encourage either statehood or economic development. As in Gaza, many billions of dollars in Aid have, over the years, been lavished on corruption and terrorism.

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