War can’t break Israeli spirit

(Editor’s note: DAILY TRIBUNE is one of only eight major newspapers worldwide granted the rare opportunity to visit ground zero of the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. This is the fifth of a series of articles. For more photos and videos, visit https://tribune.net.ph/special-report)

TEL AVIV, Israel — Save for some random men carrying high-powered guns in public places, life goes on for the Israelis despite the threat of an all-out war from two of the world’s most notorious militant organizations.

At the Market House Hotel, where nine international journalists are staying, there is a “Happy Hour” promo from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. where guests are treated to ice-cold bottles of Gold Star and Maccabee beer with nuts sourced from the Mediterranean.

A few steps away, there’s always a street party going on, where Israelis — both young and old — sing and dance to acoustic music that tackles love, life, freedom and what the future holds in their war-torn country.

There’s also some sort of a children’s party where the parents of children aged 2 to 8 are singing and dancing to the beat of nursery music, giving them a sense of normalcy in what Israelis have branded “one of the most critical periods in our country’s history.”

“What do you see, do you see war? I don’t think so,” said Vivi Ukrainsky, an Argentinian who has been working as a tour guide here for the past three years.

On the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the bubbly Ukrainsky treated the journalists to generous servings of steak, calamari, ravioli and buttered shrimp on Thursday night to cap a grueling one-week coverage of war, religion, politics and sports.

She said she was proud to reveal the real face of Israel.

“The Israelis are fun-loving people. Every morning, they work. At night, they party. Life goes on for us,” said Ukrainsky, who did not know that DAILY TRIBUNE was nearly barred by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration from flying to Israel after its security status was raised to Alert Level 2 due to the escalating tension.

“We know there is a war going on both in the northern and southern parts of our country. But we’re not letting it break our spirits. We are living each day as if it is our last since we are aware that we are in one of the most critical periods in our country’s history,” she said.

Escalating tensions

The threat that Israelis are facing is not a joke.

In the north of the country, they are fighting Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant organization that is protecting the interests of the Shia Islamists in the region.

Hezbollah admitted that it fired more than 200 missiles at Israel last week in retaliation for the death of Muhammed Neamah Naser, a ranking commander in their Aziz Unit.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) described Naser as the counterpart of Sami Taleb Abdullah, another Hezbollah commander whose killing last month also triggered a wave of retaliatory strikes.

“Together, they served as two of the most significant Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement.

Down south, the Israelis are fighting Hamas, a Palestine-based militant organization of Islamic extremists.

Last year, Hamas launched a deadly attack in the southern part of Israel on 7 October, resulting in the death, abduction, rape and torture of more than 1,200 civilians — most of them elderly, women and children.

In the tiny kibbutz community of Nir Oz, around 150 Hamas terrorists waged a daring cross-border attack in which houses were burned and civilians were either massacred or abducted. Later, the terrorists attacked the Nova Music Festival and murdered around 370 mostly young people who were celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukot.

“It was a massacre like no other,” said Rita Lifshitz, a member of the kibbutz, whose father-in-law, fighter-for-peace Oded Lifhshitz, was abducted by the terrorists and taken to their headquarters in the Gaza Strip.

Israel didn’t take the act of terrorism sitting down as it launched military strikes in Gaza, resulting in more than 3,500 casualties, most of them Hamas operatives.

Aside from the threats from the north and the south, Israel is also monitoring the movements of Iran, which launched massive missile and drone attacks last April in support of Hezbollah.

Iron Dome

Still, the Israelis in the capital city and nearby areas are not worried.

Vadim Winberg said they still sleep soundly at night, knowing the aerial assaults launched by three of their neighbors — Palestine, Lebanon and Iran — will not affect them.

“We have this thing called an Iron Dome. It’s our main defense against aerial assaults,” said Winberg, a cab driver and tour guide in Tel Aviv.

He explained that the Iron Dome is an air-defense system designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of four to 70 kilometers away, effectively stopping them from reaching the populated areas.

It was first used in 2011 where it successfully intercepted a rocket launched from Gaza.

Aside from the Iron Dome, the Israelis are also banking on their strong defense force, which has 169,500 active personnel and 465,000 reservists.

“We have a very solid defense force,” the 60-year-old Winberg said.

“My two sons, for instance, are serving in Lebanon. They are fighting Hezbollah. It may sound terrifying but I’m not worried. I know they are doing this not for themselves but for their country,” he said.

“When kids reach 18 or 19 years old, they are qualified to undergo military training and be part of our armed forces. We, as parents, are very proud to see our children leave our home to fight for our country.”

Winberg said it was normal to see young men carrying high-powered guns in public.

“They are serving the country. They are the ones keeping all of us safe,” he said, adding that the Israelis’ belief in their defense force gives them the peace of mind to sing, dance and party the night away.