This unique headline is extrapolated from one of the poems written by the famous Emily Dickinson. On one hand, it is a way to express the end of a small pause in the war in Israel against the Hamas terror organisation, a pause that helped to retrieve our hostages that were taken out of their houses during the horrors of October 7. On the other hand, it reflects the inner conflicts we are all facing and the emotional turbulence that surrounds us since the horrible attack that left around 1400 people dead and about 250 others taken hostage. For example, Israelis all around were so thrilled and happy when Abigail Idan, a 4-year-old girl, was retrieved from her Hamas captives safe and sound. At the same time, our hearts were broken because her parents Roei and Smadar were murdered. Actually, Roei who I knew personally from way back, held little Abigail in his arms when he was shot and saved her life by sacrificing his own. Just another reminder of the massacre happened in Israeli military bases and civilian population centres as well as a music festival celebrating peace near Re'im. When hell broke loose in Israel, I was with my kids in the safe and beautiful Land of a Thousand Hills. The dissonant was screaming at me and I knew what I had to do, so when I was called up for service, I had already purchased a ticket and was able to say exactly when I will be there. On October 10th, I landed in Israel to take part in the war Israel declared on Hamas. The country I love was in deep mourning, roads were empty, business were closed and fear was all around. The fear of rockets and that blood-curdling message of your loved ones lost in battles or their bodies identified as one of the massacre victims, people were burned alive and mutilated beyond recognition. During the first week of my arrival, bodies were still been collected from the war zone inside Israel and that blood-curdling message became horrible heart breaking scream of people next to me getting that terrifying phone call. The war by-it-self is a big contradiction and it emphasizing the difficulty for a democracy to wage war on terrorism, this case Hamas. War is never pleasant, it is ugly, there is no way fighting in the small Gaza strip will not harm innocent people. Furthermore, the battlefield is actually the most comprehensivefortified zone in military history, which has a 500 kilometres of underground tunnels and Iranian technologies. Yet Israel declared war against the terrorists responsible for one of the worst attacks against Jews in history and the most horrible one in Israel’s history. The war is not against all Palestinians and even not the Gazans. On the contrary, the IDF (Israeli Defence Force) puts so much efforts and resources to keep the Gazan’s non-combatants out of harm’s way. The long history of Israel could make one to assume that this is just a chapter in the long-lasting conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; again this is not the case and in spite Israel tremendous efforts to avoid harming the innocents since October 7, anti-Semitism has risen across the world. On that note we, the Israeli and Jewish community in Rwanda, unequivocally thanks the government of Rwanda and its citizens for all the support and solidarity messages; and condemning the terror attack on the State of Israel by Hamas. Nevertheless, the war is not over and there is more you can do if you wish to stand with Israel. For example, I call on public and private institutions in Rwanda to fight against anti-Semitism, genocide ideologies, and any kind of hatred targeting any group of people. Government and army officials can make a courtesy call to your counter-parts and colleagues in Israel. That call can be publicly but also just between two friends showing care and worries about each other’s well-being. Trust me! Israelis will remember your kindness in this difficult hour. Then ask about what Israel’s goals and the objective it wishes to achieve and I am confidant you will understand that Israel intensions are just and inspiring a secure and safe future for the whole region. If you deem it right, you must join the call, again, publicly or discreetly, to the mobilisation of the Gaza population to the south and the Israeli designated zone for humanitarian aid. This call will not be pro-Israel nor pro-Palestine but pro-life. The writer is an Israeli national living in Rwanda.
