This is Israel’s 9/11 – Hamas’ barbaric War with Israel

I rose before dawn on this Shabbat – final Holy Day of Shemini/Atzerat and Simchas Torah when news came in US of Hamas’ barbaric jihad terrorist war breaking in Israel.   Over 1,000 Hamas Terrorists, backed by Iran, breached Israel’s border with bulldozers, paragliders and attacks from the sea. A two-hour initial barrage of 2,000 rockets at dawn was launched against civilian targets in Israel nearly swamping Israel’s effective Iron Dome missile defense system. The current toll is now over 700 dead and 2,400 injured with more casualties to come from this barbaric Hamas jihad war ringing with cries of “Allahu Akbar” captured on video.

Israelis living on the border with Gaza were pleading for help with Hamas terrorists as roving bands shot and killed Israeli citizens in their homes and streets of villages, towns and Kibbutzes. They brutally took whole Israeli civilian families, including toddlers as hostages to Gaza.

Israel PM Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and called for formation of a unity war government with Knesset opposition parties.

lsrael was caught on its back foot with what has been called by US and foreign intelligence services a “catastrophic” intelligence failure. Their view is too much Israel reliance on cyber and visual surveillance and not enough human intelligence collection and analysis. Now Hezbollah -Iran’s proxy in Lebanon with an arsenal of 150 missiles and rockets – joins the Hamas effort in Israel’s north with mortar fire, while Israel counters with drone strikes.

This Hamas terror attack comes on cusp of 50th anniversary of devastating Yom Kippur war. Hamas and Islamic Jihad forces inside Israel shocks the world. It looks like a massive intelligence failure in midst of internal dissension over Judicial reform.

Prospects look dim for US Biden Administration-backed Israel-Saudi normalization as Riyadh announces support of its previous two- state solution for Palestine. Then there is Russia – an ally of Iran – supporting Hamas’ terrorist attack in Israel. One Israeli Minister conveyed a message that there would not be a return to the previous strategy of dealing with Hamas in Gaza. His comment was: “what was will not be.”

The latest Hamas terrorist war also raises serious questions about Israel ability to provide nuclear umbrella for region against Iran.

This will be a costly war for Israeli civilians and the IDF that require the burden of both a ground invasion of Gaza and continued lockdown of the West Bank as the disputed area is infiltrated by Iran backed Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

Ironic as this Hamas surprise attack occurred on the eighth day of Sukkot, Shemini Atzerat and Simcha Torah. No joy at hakavot last night in both Israel and here in the US. Dancing with torahs may not occur, while reserves are called up in Israel and rushed in for the expected counter-attack.

When asked by Rabbi David Cohen-Henriquez at B’nai Israel Synagogue to make some remarks just before the Torah service, I said that this Hamas attack was Israel’s 9/11.  At kiddush following services, I learned from one family of their daughter’s travail in Jerusalem alone surrounded by wailing sirens while her boyfriend was out of country on business debating whether it was safe to walk eight minutes to his brother’s shelter and family apartment. Their other daughter’s Israeli boyfriend here in Florida told of Israeli families with members killed and captured by Hamas. We later learned that an Israel family who had lived in Pensacola had been rescued by IDF soldiers and taken to a safe location. Israel deserves our prayers and concerns for safety. There is no joy dancing with torahs on Simchat Torah when lives are lost combatting a heinous, barbaric Hamas attack in Israel.