I’m optimistic this Rosh Hashana because of the tremendous motivation demonstrated by the masses who wanted to fight alongside the Gaza border region residents and rescue them from the inferno on October 7.
I’m optimistic because of the motivation of regular and reservist soldiers I’ve seen in all the fighting sectors; because of the civilian general public’s motivation to help the wounded and conserve the Third Temple as a Jewish and democratic state.
My long years of experience reporting wars have proven to me, beyond doubt, that the winner is the side that’s motivated, and determined to fight to live. So, I believe we’ll be here for generations to come.
A year on since October 7, 2023, and the best comfort, perhaps the best medicine, is the rapid recovery, within hours or days, of Israel’s civilian population and the IDF from the shock and rage.
The Chief of the General Staff at an Exercise in the North
(IDF)
Hundreds of reservists and civilians on that terrible Shabbat were driven by grief and horror to come to the aid of the communities under attack. Along with the IDF’s faltering response, this was Israel’s counterattack against the two commando divisions Hamas sent into Israeli territory.
Were it not for this counterattack by security squads, IDF special forces units, at their own initiative running into fire, civilians who took up weapons and came from great distances to help the Gaza Periphery residents, the disaster could have been many times worse. Hamas could have conquered considerable territory in the south and the losses, horrors and damage immeasurably greater.
But the lessons of October 7 and the failures that led to it should be left to the IDF’s authorized commissions of inquiry. We’re still in the midst of the Iron Swords war, referred to by some as an existential war, and from a strategic perspective, the ability to exist in the region as a sovereign Jewish state, it is indeed an existential war. So, it’s worth trying to understand where Israel has succeeded and where, somewhat less.
In A Year of War, a series of articles for Rosh Hashana, Ynet surveys the results of the war to this point, starting with the terrible failure, through the achievements and mistakes, through to the picture right now.
After October 7:
The IDF's six successes that shaped the war
Following the military's colossal failure during Hamas' attack on southern Israel, it quickly recuperated and acted decisively against Israel's enemies; these are its greatest achievements so far
The IDF’s five major setbacks following October 7
Over 60,000 Israelis remain internally displaced by Hezbollah, revealing the army's struggle to fight on two fronts; meanwhile, Hamas still holds hostages, with Sinwar rejecting every proposal as he hopes for a regional war that will shift the balance in his favor
6 View gallery
A tunnel in Rafah where six hostages were held captive and executed by Hamas terrorists
(Photo: Israeli Army/ REUTERS)
Israel’s complex battle across multiple fronts since October 7
Reeling from the Hamas massacre, the IDF focused on Gaza while gradually wearing down Hezbollah in the north before launching a ground offensive; meanwhile, Israel works to contain West Bank unrest, as Iran’s assault presents new regional opportunities
The IDF’s four force multipliers after October 7
Amid harsh war in Gaza and growing conflagration on the northern border, the military counted on four critical components to bolster itself
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