Friday, October 9, 2026

What You Need to Know:

With Israel’s national election less than three weeks away, the third anniversary of October 7 this week was a time of mourning for the nation, as well as a moment for her leaders to pay their respects and campaign.

At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that a weakened Hamas will try to strike before the October 27 vote. He pledged that Israel would thwart any attempt and respond with overwhelming force. He said that Israel has killed some 4,000 of an estimated 6,000 Hamas fighters and that none of the rest are beyond reach. He also pointed to the revival of the Gaza border communities, where he said 90% of residents have returned home and young couples are moving in. 

On the anniversary itself, leaders from across the political spectrum visited some of the places that suffered most. Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, who now leads the opposition Yashar party, said while visiting a bomb shelter at Kibbutz Re’im that he does not regret joining the 2023 emergency government but believes Netanyahu should be replaced. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett prayed at the Nova festival site. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman honored the heroes of Kibbutz Kfar Aza. 

The weeks ahead are expected to be contentious. Opposition leaders have sharply criticized Netanyahu, pressing him on responsibility for October 7, while he points to Israel’s military gains. Divisions also run deep on other issues, including whether Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men should be drafted into the IDF, particularly amid a wartime manpower shortage. 

Dig Deeper:

“We Will Complete the Mission,” Netanyahu Says, Lights Candle in Memory of Oct. 7 Victims

Netanyahu: Hamas Will Try to Attack before Elections

What You Need to Know:

Threats along Israel’s borders and within its heartland are a reminder that vigilance cannot let up. 

In southern Syria, where the IDF holds a defensive line near the border, troops opened fire on people who approached two military posts near Quneitra within 24 hours, Ynetnews reported. No soldiers were hurt. Officials are examining whether locals were testing the troops’ alertness. Golan Heights leaders warned that a sense of calm must not lead Israel back to pre-October 7 thinking. 

In Judea, a car carrying three suspects rammed an IDF vehicle on Monday near Hebron. Soldiers fired at the car, and no Israeli personnel were hurt. The same day, an undercover commando unit arrested two weapons traffickers in Nablus (biblical Shechem) in Samaria. 

Meanwhile, more than 80 farmers from Judea and Samaria met online with security and government officials to prepare for the olive harvest, which runs through November. Organizers say foreign activists come every year to provoke confrontations and gather material for anti-Israel campaigns. Officials pledged to block and deport troublemakers. 

Finally, reports citing investigators say the copilot behind last week’s attempted attack on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv planned to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport. He was stopped when the wounded captain opened the cockpit door and Israeli passengers overpowered him.

Dig Deeper:

IDF on High Alert: Are Syrians Testing Israeli Defenses near the Border?

IDF Troops Fire at Car that Rammed Army Vehicle in Judea

Judea and Samaria Farmers Brace for Disruptions during Olive Harvest

Flydubai Terrorist Said to Tell Investigators He Intended to Crash Plane into Ben Gurion Airport

What You Need to Know:

As Israel marked three years since October 7, the IDF closed one chapter of its reckoning with that day. At a senior commanders’ conference last Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced that the military’s inquiries into the October 7 failures are complete. He presented the main lessons along with plans to put them into practice and track their progress. Zamir said the IDF failed that day but then recovered to achieve what he called a historic victory on multiple fronts. Because Israel is small and lacks territorial depth, he said, the army itself must grow, and its strategy is now built around readiness for a surprise war. Zamir called for a military culture where critical voices are heard rather than silenced. 

Behind every lesson stand soldiers who paid a heavy price. Two days after the massacre, a photographer captured an image that became a symbol of October 7. It shows Lt. Col. Netanel Makayes, then head of the IDF’s Counterterrorism School, comforting reservist Yair Ansbacher as he wept beside a holiday table still set with challah (braided bread for the Sabbath and holidays). The table stood in a ruined home in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz (collective community) near the Gaza border. Their unit lost four fighters that day, as well as a former commander. Three years later, the two men returned to the same house. “We are human beings before we put on uniforms,” they told Ynetnews. 

Dig Deeper:

IDF Chief Says Oct. 7 Probes Concluded, Vows Larger Military

“We Saw Devastation”: IDF Fighters Return to Haunting Kfar Aza Photo that Became an Oct. 7 Symbol

What You Need to Know:

This past Wednesday, Israel marked three years since October 7, and new data show the nation’s emotional toll is still rising. On Tuesday, ERAN, a nonprofit emotional first-aid hotline, reported that it has fielded nearly one million calls and messages since the attack. Loneliness is its most common concern and young people up to age 24 making up nearly a quarter of those reaching out. A report released last Sunday by Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest health fund, found new PTSD diagnoses doubled in the war’s first year versus the two prewar years, then kept climbing. Children carry a heavy load: psychiatry emergency visits by Clalit’s children and teens rose 78.3% over prewar levels in year two, then 121.3% in year three.  

First responders and rescuers still carry the scars. Natan Kenig, a volunteer with ZAKA (a Hebrew acronym for “Disaster Victim Identification”), gathered remains until February 2024. Daily flashbacks have sent him into therapy, and the former professional chef can no longer cook, he told AFP. Oz Davidian rescued 120 people in 15 pickup runs, then months later collapsed, certain it was a heart attack. It was post-trauma, and he and his family remain in treatment, Ynetnews reported. 

Grieving families are rebuilding, too. The Israeli Children’s Fun, which supports 573 children and young adults who lost parents on October 7, says recovery is slow and uneven, and most surviving parents have not returned to work. Siblings Adi and Liad Zakuto, whose father was murdered in the southern city of Ofakim, say the grief never fades, but they try to live happily in his honor. 

Dig Deeper:

Nearly 1 Million Israelis Called Mental Health Hotline over Three Years of War

After Three Years of War, Israeli Kids Bear the Brunt of Still-rising Mental Toll

Three Years on, this Israeli First Responder Cannot Escape October 7

“I Thought I Was Having a Heart Attack”: Nova Rescuer Reveals PTSD Battle

“Recovery Takes Time,” Orphans of Oct. 7 Say of Life Three Years after Massacre

What You Need to Know:

Britain dominated the headlines this week, as tensions with Israel deepened on both the diplomatic and political fronts. 

Israel was set to close the British Consulate in Jerusalem on Thursday under an order from Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. The order is a response to British economic sanctions, which London says target plans to expand Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and attacks by Israeli extremists on Palestinians. Sa’ar condemned the sanctions and accused Britain’s ruling Labour Party of hostility toward Israel and of interfering in its October 27 election. According to the Jerusalem Post, British officials have warned that if the consulate closes and British diplomats are expelled, the UK will expel 27 Israeli diplomats and their families. 

Meanwhile, the Green Party of England and Wales voted 1,022 to 813 at its conference Sunday to treat Zionism as a form of racism and to back a single Palestinian state across all of “historic Palestine,” a stance that Jewish leaders say would effectively erase Israel. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council called the motion an assault on their community. They warned that it fuels hatred after a year in which British Jews were killed while attending synagogue. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis traced the “Zionism is racism” idea back to the Soviet Union. 

Ynetnews columnist Ben-Dror Yemini argues that these steps reflect hostility spreading through British institutions. He also points to the Royal College of Nursing’s recent decision to join the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and cut ties with Israeli drugmaker Teva. 

Dig Deeper:

UK to Expel 27 Israeli Diplomats if East Jerusalem Consulate Closed, British Diplomats Expelled

UK Jews “Appalled” as Green Party Brands Zionism as Racism, Calls to Erase Israel

Britain’s Anti-Israel Turn is Becoming a Threat to Itself and the West 

What You Need to Know:

As the world marked three years since October 7, hostility toward Israel and the Jewish people surfaced again, even in statements that should have honored the victims. 

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued an anniversary statement, calling Hamas’s attack horrific war crimes and saying that he grieved with those still carrying the loss. However, he then argued that the suffering continued through what he called Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, and he accused the US government of complicity. He also put the October 7 death toll at more than 1,100, while the official figures exceed 1,200. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the mayor was trying to hijack the anniversary to attack Israel. Danon said it was “like turning September 11 into a day of mourning for al-Qaeda terrorists.” 

The mayor’s statement comes at a difficult time for the city’s Jewish community. New York City police figures show that Jews were targeted in 53% of the city’s confirmed hate crimes so far this year, though they make up only about 10% of its population. 

At the European Parliament, French lawmaker Rima Hassan faces scrutiny after removing an Israeli flag from an October 7 memorial exhibit. Her office said the act was a protest against the Israeli government, not the victims, and denied that she trampled the flag. Parliament President Roberta Metsola said the matter is being taken very seriously. 

Dig Deeper:  

Mamdani Statement an Effort to “Hijack” Oct. 7 Anniversary, Danon tells JNS

“Deeply Concerning” that Jewish New Yorkers Targets of 53% of Hate Crimes in NYC so far This Year, NYPD Chief Says

French MEP Removes Israeli Flag at Oct. 7 Memorial Exhibit, Drawing EU Probe

What You Need to Know:

As Israel’s harvest season drew to a close during the holidays of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, hundreds of families traded typical holiday outings for work in the fields. From Rosh HaShanah (Jewish New Year) to Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), volunteers picked grapes, pruned vines and sorted fruit, helping growers finish the season before winter, Ynetnews reported. 

The volunteers came from many backgrounds: Israelis, new immigrants and families visiting from abroad. Matthew Shames, who came with his family from Los Angeles, said the experience gave them a hands-on bond with the Land of Israel and its farmers and strengthened their love for Israel. The Sheldon family, who immigrated from New Jersey and now live in northern Israel, said the experience reflects the kind of upbringing they hope to give their children. 

The article focused on volunteers working with Hiburim B’Haklaut (roughly, “Connections in Agriculture”), a group that works to strengthen ties between Israeli society and its farmers. Barry Rosenberg, the organization’s CEO, said the turnout shows how deeply Israelis want to feel tied to the Land and the people who farm it. Similar organizations also welcome a variety of volunteers, including Diaspora (outside Israel) Jews, as well as Christians and secular people from around the world who want to experience and connect with the Land and people of Israel. For those who treasure the Bible’s promises, the scene is a living picture of the prophets’ words that Israel would again plant vineyards and enjoy their fruit (Amos 9:14).

Dig Deeper:

Families Trade Holiday Outings for Israel’s Vineyards