Rabbi Judelman: Hamas’s Holocaust swept away even those who fight for Palestinians
A voice for peace and founder with Khaled Abu Awad of the Israeli-Palestinian Friends of Roots group, the rabbi relays tragic stories in the wage of the attack from the Strip. “Today everyone is a target without distinctions,” he laments. "International pressure" is needed for the release of the hostages. Recovering the bodies of the young participants to the rave party killed by Hamas militants is a difficult task. Gaza’s Catholic parish priest fears what is to come, possibly a "much longer conflict", one that is a “substantial change” from the recent past.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – The situation is “extremely difficult" while stories continue to arrive that remind one of "a holocaust”. In one case, “a woman who was kidnapped had her two children thrown out of the car window”. In another, a woman was hiding, but Hamas fighters found her and “took away her children.” This is “a tragic and awful reality of killings, kidnappings, confusion,” said Rabbi Shaul David Judelman, speaking to AsiaNews on the phone.
Founder with Palestinian Khaled Abou Awad of Shorashim-Judur (), an organisation that promotes dialogue and coexistence between the two peoples, Judelman notes that "among the people taken, there are also activists who, in that past, dedicated themselves to dialogue" supporting a solution to the Palestinian issue and who today are overwhelmed by this sudden and bloody escalation.
"Today everyone is a target without distinctions. I spoke out in support of the Palestinians, but right now everything is more difficult”; it is equally clear that "Hamas has been preparing this operation for at least two years" by raising funds, stockpiling weapons and seeking support abroad.
Extremism on both sides has contributed to this turn of events, but what has just happened is something new, and tragic, in the history of the region, however battered and bloodied it was in the past by wars, violence and conflicts.
"For this reason, international pressure is needed on Hamas to release the hostages, the children" as well as a strong stance in the Muslim world, Fatah and those who oppose extremism.
For Israeli military leaders, the Hamas attack on Saturday is Israel’s “9/11”, while Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered a "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip, with “No electricity, no food, no fuel."
Appeals for peace and dialogue, like the one made yesterday at the Angelus by Pope Francis, continue to fall on deaf ears.
Air raid sirens continue to be heard across the country, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Blasts were heard in the holy city, at least three according to some sources, but it is unclear whether they are Hamas rockets that hit the ground or blown up by Israeli anti-aircraft.
Israeli forces regained control of areas near the border with the Strip, but sporadic fighting with isolated Hamas cells is still ongoing.
Since the start of the fighting, about 123,000 people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip, “mostly due to fear, protection concerns and the destruction of their homes,” with more than 73,000 sheltering in schools, this according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA).
Meanwhile, in Israel the authorities are involved in the difficult attempt of recovering the dead bodies of the mostly young participants in a rave party that Hamas terrorists attacked, killing hundreds and abducting about 100.
The attack on the Nova music festival, attended by at least 3,000 people, represents, at a symbolic and numerical level, the hardest blow inflicted on Israel, revealing the weaknesses of its defence system, hitherto deemed almost inviolable and one of the best in the world.
For some analysts, Israel’s failure is linked to the policy of the current ultranationalist right-wing government that concentrate military forces in the West Bank to protect settlers and settlements, leaving the Gaza front exposed.
At least a hundred civilians, mostly young people, including foreigners or citizens with dual citizenship, are in the hands of the extremist group that controls the Strip. Thei fate is still unknown, as family scramble to gather information.
Those who managed to escape describe scenes of sheer horror, while Zaka, a volunteer group, says that it has recovered 260 bodies amid gunshots and attacks that hindered its operations.
The patriarchs and heads of the Churches of Jerusalem have expressed fears and concerns about the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In a note, they call for "peace and justice" and an end to the violence in the Holy Land.
At the root of the problem, they explain, are the “absence of justice and respect for human rights" as well as the lack of protection for “the status quo in the holy shrines.”
The prelates hope military actions will stop because they “go against the fundamental principles of humanity and the teachings of Christ”.
Finally, they appeal to world leaders and governments to engage in “sincere dialogue" and “work tirelessly towards [. . .] a just and lasting peace” in the Holy Land.
"Today the Bethlehem crossing opened and you can go to Jerusalem", said Fr Gabriel Romanelli, Argentine priest of the Incarnate Word, speaking to AsiaNews, but "I cannot return to my parish. I am stuck".
"Fighting is going on but you can't get much information and nobody is leaving their homes. The worshippers who attended Mass yesterday are the members of the 10 families hosted in the parish church. From a distance I try to help and organise the work.”
From what he has heard, last night was “very hard because of the air raids, shelling. Someone returned to his home for a short time to take basic things and saw the destruction with his own eyes,” the priest said.
A rocket hit a restaurant that was "empty at that time" in front of the house of the Sisters of the Rosary of Jerusalem "causing panic among the nuns. The big blast shattered glass.”
“We have already experienced major wars in the past but what raises the fear level is the thought of what will happen next and the fear that it will be a much longer conflict . . . There is also talk of a ground operation by the Israeli army.”
The Erez crossing "is not operational and remains closed", Fr Romanelli explained.
Stories abound about hundreds of Israeli civilian deaths. The attack on the music festival and the large number of victims "represent a substantial change compared to the past,” he added. “We have never seen such a thing before”.
"In the face of great problems, great solutions are needed; the intervention of international forces is needed and both sides must stop, or at least reduce violence" to avert a crisis without return.
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