Each week I have a conversation with a London-based friend. The conversation begins with my friend expressing concern for me and my family as to what is happening here in Israel, with my immediate response conveying my disquiet about the unprecedented rise in antisemitism in Britain.
Yes, it is primarily about justifying why we live in our respective countries while simultaneously having to find a place that is even more uncomfortable for Jews than the one in which we reside.
However, a recent conversation left me with a sense of inadequacy as to how to respond. She said, “It’s difficult to justify Israel’s continued presence in Gaza when viewing – on virtually every TV channel – the devastation created by Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza with its subsequent high death rate.”
True, the figures of Gazans killed in these bombing attacks are those given by Hamas – which is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization – leaving a question mark about their validity. However, with no clear immediate clarification from Israel on the reality, the damage is done.
Twenty-two months ago we Israelis knew why we went into Gaza; it followed the Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis, the taking of 251 hostages, and the assault, sexual and otherwise, on countless Israeli women. And, yes, we recognize that the media chooses not to mention the catalyst for this war.
Nevertheless the question many of us are asking today is whether the IDF’s exit from Gaza is overdue. The problem is that we have a government that believes that we must eliminate Hamas before ending the war. Do we have a plan for the day after the war? Or could it be that there are those in our government who believe and state that Israel should, once again, take over the running of Gaza?
August 16 marks 20 years since then prime minister Ariel Sharon and deputy prime minister Shimon Peres decided that August 16, 2005, was the deadline for some 9,000 Israeli settlers to exit Gaza, although its completion took until September 22. There are various reasons given for this decision, with the two most pertinent being the continued unsustainable cost of fighting Hamas and demographic concerns.
Today we witness the exceedingly painful cost of our battle against Hamas. Some 900 of our soldiers have been killed, with thousands severely wounded, including many with life-changing injuries. In addition, some 70 police officers were killed in this war.
As if these figures are not painful enough, the suicide rate among serving soldiers has never been as high as has been recorded since the beginning of this war. Thirty-eight suicides were documented between 2023 and 2024. This year – just over halfway through – 28 soldiers have taken their lives. The last two months have seen a 70% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Also, thousands of reserve soldiers have ceased serving in combat units due to mental stress.
Treating trauma victims
To find out how the country is dealing with the unprecedented magnitude of trauma experienced by our soldiers, the Magazine spoke with Dr. Danny Brom, the founder of the Metiv Herzog Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma. The center is a world-renowned innovator in the research and treatment of the wide-ranging effects of trauma.
Responding to the question whether there has been an increase in serving soldiers coming to Metiv for help, Brom said that the center has opened a specialty clinic within the rehab department of the Defense Ministry. This clinic is chronically overwhelmed by the number of those who have been referred. At any given moment some 300 individuals are being treated.
The center is also engaged in scientific efforts to improve the treatments, because most of the so-called evidence-based treatments are not very effective.
Brom spoke of a current major study on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for veterans who have not been helped by other treatments.
The psychological fallout of this war – at many levels – has been enormous. Among new programs introduced specifically for the trauma victims is one that brings together reserve soldiers and their two-to-five-year-old kids. Being called back time and again to the battlefield takes its psychological toll, inevitably affecting the relationship between father and child.
Through this program fathers relearn how to connect, play, and listen to their children.
Also, the center has initiated an open play space where parents come with their children to play together under the professional eye of a therapist who helps parents comprehend their child’s problems.
One of the most successful programs for serving soldiers is the “Peace of Mind” project, which the Magazine has written about in the past. It offers an entire military unit (not only those in need of psychological help) the opportunity to spend two weeks abroad hosted by a Diaspora community.
Each day starts with a session, led by two psychologists, where participants feel safe to share the trauma of their experience on the battlefield. The ability to share one’s innermost feelings and anxieties in a safe environment has proven to be of enormous benefit – not only to the soldier but to his entire family. Wives have marvelled at the return of the husband they once knew but had disappeared on the battlefield.
By the end of this year some 50 groups will have benefitted from this scheme. It is hoped by the year 2027 that 100 groups will benefit from “Peace of Mind” on an annual basis.
The costs of an endless war
In light of the above, do we continue to battle Hamas until we have won the war? How does one define “winning the war”? Can Israel destroy an ideology when there are thousands ready to be martyrs in their desire to kill Israelis? It is difficult to destroy a doctrine that is born of an education to eliminate – specifically – Israelis.
Tragically, our government is run according to the policies of its minority. Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich lead parties that have threatened to leave the government if we stop fighting in Gaza. Does either of them understand what it is to be in a combat unit?
Ben-Gvir, at the age of 18, was exempted from service due to his extreme right-wing political background as an associate of the Kahanist movement. Otzma Yehudit, the party he now heads, is considered to be the ideological successor of the Kahanist camp.
Smotrich enlisted in the IDF at the age of 28 (10 years after the normal conscription age). He served for a limited period of 14 months as a clerk in the Military Court System. He has not experienced combat fighting at any level. Yet these two constantly threaten to leave the government should the IDF stop fighting in Gaza.
Yes, there are articles in our press by eminent academics – some with military qualifications – which suggest that we should continue the war until Hamas is destroyed. Perhaps there is logic in this, yet – in my book – there comes a point where the physical and psychological cost outweighs an achievement for which there is no guaranteed permanence.
All of the above plus the reality of those 50 hostages remaining in captivity – of whom 20 are supposedly alive – contribute to the mire in which Israel finds itself.
The question is to what extent can we cope with the continued loss of our soldiers – of whom there are too few – while our government enables tens of thousands of haredim to avoid conscription.
For sure, we must not allow another Oct. 7 where our civilians in the Gaza border area were left without an IDF member in sight, vulnerable to the massive genocide with which they were confronted. While the IDF has ensured a buffer zone border to secure the North, our government completely neglected the exceedingly endangered South. We must create a deeper border between ourselves and Gaza – manned by the IDF constantly. But remaining in Gaza is a recipe for continued disaster at multiple levels.
Perhaps the greatest challenge that confronts us today is not the enemy without but the division within. As we commemorate Tisha B’Av – reminding ourselves of the destruction of the two Temples plus the centuries of hatred toward the Jewish people – let us find a way of coming together.
Am Yisrael hai.
The writer is the president of Israel, Britain and the Commonwealth Association and has chaired public affairs organizations in Israel and the UK.