Earlier this month, a Palestinian terrorist went on a stabbing spree in Jaffa, Israel, injuring 12 people and killing American graduate student and combat veteran Taylor Force. This latest incident in a long history of violence in Israel highlights the need for better understanding of the complex historical and cultural context of the region, and concentrated efforts to promote peace.
In Kfar Aza, which is one of these borders towns about a mile away from Gaza, houses, school buildings, and bomb shelters are reinforced against daily rocket fire. An alarm system detects rockets and alerts the members of the kibbutz. The radar recognizes the rocket as quickly as possible, but the rocket’s short flight time leaves less than 10 seconds for the people to find safety.
Hamas terrorist groups target Israeli communities near the border of the Gaza Strip and construct tunnels to attack the villages without being seen, bypassing the Israeli ground forces and creating fear in the Israeli citizenry. In past weeks, 11 people have died in tunnel collapses.
Most community members in Kfar Aza suffer from traumatic stress disorder. It requires two years of peace to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, and two years of life without rocket explosions has not been a reality for many years.
It’s reasonable to ask why the people of Kfar Aza and the rest of Israel decide to stay despite rockets, Hamas tunnels, and unrelenting traumatic stress disorder.
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12.22.2024