Israel’s 500th Day of War

Yael Eckstein  |  February 19, 2025

Writing at the Christian Post, Yael Eckstein says that Israel’s war against Hamas is not a war over land, but a war over the existence of the Jewish people:

I was born and raised in the United States. Never — not once — did I question my country’s survival. America was simply there, permanent, unshakable. There were threats, but never an existential one. Now I live in a country where survival is not a given.

Where, for 500 days, tiny Israel, the size of New Jersey, has been under attack from seven different fronts. And with every one of the thousands of rockets launched at our cities, suicide drones launched at our homes, and ballistic missiles launched at our children’s schools.

Where, for 500 days, we have lived with a single unbearable question: Will Israel endure? This is not a war over land; it is a war over existence. Our enemies have made it clear: they do not want peace; they want to erase us. They chant for our annihilation. They teach their children that Israel is temporary. They do not attack our borders; they attack our homes.