I usually go out jogging at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings. On the infamous Shabbat of October 7, I happened to go out later than planned. My friend Ofra, who went out before me, did not come back. At 6:31 I heard the first rockets being fired at the center of the country. The houses of Be'eri shake when rockets are launched towards the center. I immediately realized that something was wrong. Ten minutes later, a "red" loudspeaker alert [meaning that missiles had been launched] went off in our village as well and we entered the safe room. I immediately heard gunshots, and then I also heard people talking in Arabic. We stayed in the security room and locked it. I soon understood that Be'eri had been conquered.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
For seven hours there was no one except the emergency response team to protect the children, the adults, the babies, and the families who were slaughtered and burned. This was a Holocaust, here by us. When the IDF soldiers arrived at about 3 p.m., the Arabic was replaced by Hebrew, and this gave us some hope that there was a chance to get out of this alive.
Video: 'It's a massacre' - Israeli kibbutz highlights destruction of Hamas attack / Credit: Reuters
Everyone has heard the horror stories. Everyone knows the dialogue about breaking the concept and the need to change a diskette. The problem is that we cannot change the reality of tomorrow with common concepts of yesterday's world.
For twenty years we have been living from one military operation to the next. For twenty years, politicians have been using the same language and the same set of concepts – "We will eliminate Hamas," "Israel is creating deterrence," "Hamas will come out from under the ground, see the destruction, and will not dare to fire even a single missile." In the end, 2,000 terrorists, a few armored bulldozers, and other vehicles entered and occupied a region of the State of Israel without anyone coming to our defense.
The government should take responsibility, and order the IDF to eliminate terrorism in Gaza once and for all, no matter how long it takes. Because we will not return to the south as long as there is one bullet, one gun, or one terrorist in Gaza.
We will not go "back to normal," we will not put up with another "round." The language itself must change. The whole world of concepts and words that we are using must be erased from the Hebrew dictionary.
The term "sense of security" will be changed. Security will no longer rely on gut feelings but on clear facts and information. No missiles will fall because there won't be any. They will not break through the "separation fence," because there will be no one on the other side who will even consider trying.
There will be no more "deterred Hamas," because there will be no Hamas. No more "reinstating deterrence for years to come," because there will be no one to deter. Anything less than that cannot be called a victory; it would not be considered the restoration of security and will not allow a safe return to our beloved home.
If we want to change reality, we must change the language. We must erase the concepts from years gone by from our lexicon and use new words from now on. You can destroy houses, destroy infrastructure, but you cannot kill the Zionist spirit. We will rebuild our society. We will be a light for the State of Israel and the whole world. We will bring back values of kindness, mutual consideration, and solidarity, and we will learn from the civilian society that has arisen to help. We desire life. We want to live in our country and enjoy seeing a red color that belongs only to the anemones growing in the south.
Haim Jelin is a resident of Be'eri and the former head of the Eshkol Regional Council
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
