Today’s suggested actions to support Israel in your local community: 

  • Urge world leaders and women’s organizations to denounce Hamas’ heinous acts of sexual violence by posting the #UnitedAgainstRape video on social media.   
  • Join the Shine A Light 2023 campaign to help dispel the darkness of rising antisemitism. Check out the calendar of events, encourage your companies to join as a workplace partner, and post the materials on your social media accounts.
  • Call your elected officials to let them know that you support Israel in its just and moral battle to defeat Hamas terrorism. Click here to enter your zip code and contact your elected officials.
  • Watch and share the uplifting video “banishing darkness with light” that highlights the Israeli resilience and spirit during the past 60 days of fighting against Hamas terrorism.  
  • Read and share the story of 81-year-old Bilha Epstein, who lived on Kibbutz Kfar Aza with her husband for over 50 years. Described as an artist and creator “who knew how to find beauty in everything, and good in all people,” Bilha liked to keep different flavors of ice cream in her freezer for each of her grandchildren. She was excitedly awaiting the birth of her first great-grandchild. She was shot dead by Hamas terrorists who infiltrated her kibbutz on October 7th.

Issue:
Over the past week, Israel’s military efforts have increasingly been concentrated in the southern portion of the Gaza strip. While the military deals with the challenges of fighting urban warfare and targeting a terrorist entity that deliberately hides behind civilians, it is also making a concerted effort to minimize civilian casualties.

 

Background:

  • Khan Yunis in southern Gaza is known to be a terrorist stronghold for Hamas infrastructure. Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7th massacres and other terror attacks and abductions of Israelis, is known to be hiding there. Threatening violence against Israelis, Sinwar promised that “Each one of [the Hamas fighters] will pick up a knife to stab [an Israeli], take his car to run over one of them, or throw a Molotov cocktail that will burn their hearts.”
  • Hamas continues to launch missile and rocket fire towards Israel from southern Gaza, including from humanitarian zones. The IDF released satellite photos showing the close proximity between UN facilities and these launch sites.
  • The IDF is releasing directions in Arabic of safe passage within the battle zones and has deployed high-tech mapping software to reduce noncombatant deaths. They have reiterated that “The people of Gaza are not our enemies.”
  • These efforts were recognized by NSC Spokesman John Kirby, who said that “It’s not the Israel Defense Forces’ strategy to kill innocent people. It’s happening, I admit that, and each one’s a tragedy,” while Hamas “is deliberately hiding themselves in residential buildings, in hospitals, [and] in tunnels.” He emphasized that Israel goes beyond what “a modern military would do to minimize civilian casualties.”
  • Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also acknowledged Israel’s efforts to reduce civilian casualties. In an interview with CNN he said that Hamas “intentionally embeds itself with civilians… and it’s very, very challenging for Israel to do what it needs to do to make sure this never happens again.”
  • The IDF continues to operate in the northern Gaza strip, where it recently discovered one of the largest caches of weapons yet. The cache, located near a health clinic and a school, included hundreds of RPGs, dozens of anti-tank missiles, tens of explosives, long-range rockets, dozens of grenades, and several drones. The military released this video to highlight how civilian sites and neighborhoods are by Hamas used for terrorist purposes.

Additional Resources

Click here for guidance on responding to canceled Chanukah lightings in your community over the war in Israel.

The Community Mobilization Center is monitoring major developments in Israel and North America related to Israel’s war against Hamas. The Community Mobilization Center will rapidly disseminate resources to help mobilize and support our local communities as they build and sustain civic and political support for Israel in this conflict. The work of the Community Mobilization Center will continue as long as it takes Israel to eradicate the terrorist threat and restore security to the country.