Avi Benlolo: It's time to end the war — and rebuild a stronger, more resilient Israel
October 7th, 2023, was the most defining moment for Israel since the Holocaust. For a generation two or three times removed from the Shoah, the horrors of that day shattered the illusion of safety. It was not just a brutal terrorist attack — it was an existential wake-up call.
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For years, many wondered if a new generation raised in a high-tech, Westernized society could withstand a genocidal assault. October 7th gave us the answer. Israelis rose with courage and fury, united by the singular purpose of survival and justice. They did not collapse — they roared back.
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In the immediate aftermath, Israelis became an iron wall. They fought back against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis — and then directly confronted Iran. This week alone, seven Israeli soldiers were injured in central Israel with one off-duty soldier killed in Beersheba. Twenty-eight civilians were killed by Iranian missiles that levelled entire apartment blocks. Yet, Israel did not flinch. It struck back with precision, resilience, and resolve.
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No other country in the world could have endured what Israel has faced over the past 20 months. No nation could withstand rocket barrages from multiple fronts while keeping daily life functioning. No other society could bury its young soldiers — its brightest minds — with such dignity and determination. No economy could continue to grow under constant attack. And no people could live through the trauma of watching loved ones kidnapped and brutalized — yet continue to fight with moral clarity. But Israel did. And Israel continues to do so.
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Let's be honest — it was Israel that gave America its consequential moment. Israeli intelligence and strategic planning laid the groundwork for strikes on Iran's nuclear program. While U.S. airpower delivered the final blow, Israel brilliantly paved the way.
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October 7th created a new Israeli ethos — just as the Holocaust once did. A new generation has emerged, defined not by memory, but by lived experience. They will never forget the sirens, the bomb shelters, or the atrocities. They will carry the legacy of survival and defence into every sphere of national life.
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A post-Netanyahu era will bring new leadership shaped by battle — leaders who understand the cost of freedom and the price of silence. They will protect Israel with a heart of courage, grounded in hard-won experience.
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Israel is not only surviving — it is growing. In the coming years, it will see a surge in Aliyah. As antisemitism rises across Europe and North America, and Islamic fundamentalism undermines Western values, more Jews will choose Israel as a safe and sovereign refuge. They will bring with them skills, passion, and purpose, strengthening the nation from within.
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CBC
33 minutes ago
- CBC
Family clans try to secure aid convoys in Gaza from criminal lootings
Social Sharing As food and aid distribution in Gaza continues to be plagued with violence and death, influential clans and tribes that have long existed in the territory are trying to secure aid convoys entering the region. The National Gathering of Palestinian Clans and Tribes, which helped escort a rare shipment of flour in northern Gaza Wednesday, said they have begun their efforts together to guard aid convoys and prevent lootings. Aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip have been limited, leading to scenes of chaos as vulnerable civilians are largely left out when armed gunmen and Israeli forces cause ensuing violence. Alaa El-Din Al-Aklouk, one of the Mukhtars – community leaders elected by large families who make up the clans – announced the plan with other leaders on Wednesday. "The clans came together to send a message of safety and security to the Palestinian people," he told CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife. "[The clans] will put in every effort to deliver aid to those who deserve it … without any violence or abuse from others." Since May 27, Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 549 people have been killed and more than 4,000 have been wounded near the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites or as they waited for UN food trucks to enter. It is unclear how many of those killed or injured were shot by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as criminal gangs were also reported to be present, according to witnesses who spoke to CBC News. GHF has rejected accusations that its aid distribution centres are dangerous, saying it delivered aid in a "secure, controlled, accountable manner — eliminating the risk of diversion." War crimes investigation The latest efforts to secure aid come as Israel's Military Advocate General ordered an investigation Friday into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli soldiers were ordered by the army to deliberately fire at Palestinians attempting to reach aid distribution sites, according to an exclusive report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Haaretz said that officers and soldiers, who were unnamed, revealed that commanders "ordered troops to shoot at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear they posed no threat." In a statement to CBC News on Friday, an IDF spokesperson said the army rejects the accusation made by Haaretz, saying it does not instruct soldiers to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution sites. "In light of recent reports of incidents of harm to the civilians approaching the distribution centers, the incidents are being examined by the relevant IDF authorities," it said. The Israeli prime minister, meanwhile, denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday. "IDF soldiers receive clear orders to avoid harming innocent civilians — and they act accordingly," Benjamin Netanyahu said. Clan members armed with guns, sticks With the police infrastructure in Gaza crumbling in the midst of the war, clan members have taken up arms to secure aid trucks and ensure they get to non-governmental organizations (NGO) barracks safely and, eventually, to the people. As trucks entered through the Zikim area in western Gaza City Wednesday, armed and masked men from the clans lined the road – some with guns and others with sticks. They controlled the crowd and fired warning shots when someone got too close to the trucks. "The securing of the aid will be done by the men of our clans," Al-Aklouk said. "The clans took on the responsibility … so that it is delivered to every Palestinian household." There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year military campaign by Israel that has displaced most of Gaza's two million inhabitants. After a two-month ceasefire broke down in March, Israel blockaded aid supplies into Gaza for 11 weeks, prompting a famine warning from a global hunger monitor. Israel, which has only partially lifted the blockade since, vets all aid into Gaza and accuses Hamas of stealing some of it, something the militant group denies. Community leaders decry theft of aid Yazdan Al-Amawi, Gaza branch manager of Anera, an NGO that also operates in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan, said it securely received more than 20 pallets of aid in its first shipment Wednesday after more than 110 days, with the help of the clans. "It's been almost at the brink of famine [in Gaza]," Al-Amawi told CBC News. "We are so happy that the women and children and elderly will get rations out of those commodities soon." WATCH | Mounting deaths reported near GHF aid sites over past month: 'We saw death': Palestinians describe violence near GHF aid sites on Monday 11 days ago Duration 1:10 At least 20 people were killed and 200 others wounded in Israeli fire near an aid distribution site in Rafah on Monday, according to medics. The deaths are the latest in mass shootings that have killed at least 300 Palestinians in the past several weeks, Gaza's Health Ministry says, as they try to access food through the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution system. Abu Salman Al-Mughni, another Mukhtar, said the theft of the aid was done by "bad apples" in the area who are not considered part of the community. He blamed businessmen for the thefts who then raised prices of goods in local markets. "The rights of the people are being stolen and sold in this manner," he said. "And this is something we will not accept nor will we tolerate." "We will no longer allow thieves to steal from the convoys for the merchants and force us to buy them for high prices," another man involved in the tribal effort, Abu Ahmad al-Gharbawi, told The Associated Press. Israel accuses Hamas of aid theft, halts distribution On Thursday, Israeli officials said that it would stop aid from entering northern Gaza for two days after a video circulated Wednesday showing dozens of masked men, some armed with rifles but most carrying sticks, riding on aid trucks – video of the clan members offering security. But Netanyahu, in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz, accused Hamas of stealing aid, saying that he had ordered the military to present a plan within two days to prevent Hamas from taking control of aid. The National Gathering of Palestinian Clans and Tribes responded saying no Palestinian faction, a reference to Hamas, had taken part in the process. And Hamas denied any involvement. An Israeli strike hit a street in the central Gaza city of Deir el-Balah on Thursday where witnesses said a crowd of people was getting bags of flour from a Palestinian police unit that had confiscated the goods from gangs looting aid convoys. The strike appeared to target members of Sahm, a security unit tasked with stopping looters and cracking down on merchants who sell stolen aid at high prices. The unit is part of Gaza's Hamas-led Interior Ministry, but includes members of other factions. There was no comment from the Israeli military on the Thursday strike. Video of the aftermath showed bodies of multiple young men in the street with blood splattering on the pavement and walls of buildings. The dead included a child and at least seven Sahm members, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital where casualties were taken. The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct.7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent air and ground war in Gaza has killed around 56,331 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than half of them women and children.
National Post
43 minutes ago
- National Post
Vivian Bercovici: Iranian regime's survival now depends on milquetoast leaders
'Death to America' has been the defining chant of the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979, when radical Shi'ite clerics overthrew the ruling Pahlavi monarchy. Article content 'Death to Israel' has always been the companion slogan. Article content For more than 50 years, the Pahlavi dynasty had ruled Iran with increasing ruthlessness. The poor, religious Iranians struggling in the teeming slums, seethed. They saw the Shah and his family as being decadent infidels defiling and degrading Iran and Islam. Article content In a recent interview, Beni Sabti, a Tehran-born expert who now resides in Israel, recalled the pro-revolutionary fervour that swept Iran in the early years of the Ayatollahs' rule. Beni was Jewish, and he and his family were constantly threatened and harassed. In 1987, when he was 15, the family escaped on a treacherous journey guided by smugglers. Article content Article content Approximately 15,000 Jews remain in Iran and reports are trickling out that some are being arrested and harassed by the military, particularly in Shiraz and Tehran. Their phones and homes are being searched for any indication of communication with people in Israel. Almost all likely have close family who escaped to Israel or elsewhere since 1979. Such contact could mean death. Article content As we are going to press, a report just came in that the regime has arrested up to 700 Jews in the country for alleged ties to Israel. Ceremonies have been organized in which Jewish leaders and others in attendance pledged allegiance and support to Iran. Article content Article content The regime has shut down internet access for approximately two weeks now, and a vicious clampdown appears to be ongoing, targeting more vulnerable minorities — like the Kurds in the north — and Jews in the cities. Everyone gets the message. Head down. Shut up. Article content Article content Today, 80 per cent or more of Iranians loathe the ruling theocracy. And whereas the opposition factions in the Iranian diaspora may have their differences, there is a broad consensus that the religious regime must be toppled. Article content The overwhelming majority of Iranians want the brutal repression to end. They want a life where they can work, achieve, think and express themselves freely, dress as they please, become citizens integrated with other nations and people without fear of extreme reprisal. But freedom, of course, is the ultimate threat to a totalitarian state. Article content Beginning on June 13, continued waves of Israeli air force attacks deep inside the country shattered the nuclear aspirations of Iran. For days, the skies of Iran were dominated by Israeli and American air forces. All Middle Eastern countries — including Syria — allowed Israeli fighter jets to access their airspace. To attack Iran. Why? Because Saudi, Bahrain, Oman, Syria, UAE — they all loathe the fanatical Iranian regime as much as does Israel.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Canada issues latest update on efforts to help Canadians leave Middle East amid Israel-Iran conflict
Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand speaks at a press conference at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, Thursday June 26, 2025. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP) Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has issued its latest update in its effort to assist Canadians hoping to leave the Middle East, amid a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Iran. According to GAC, more than 800 Canadians, permanent residents and eligible family members have left Israel, Iran and the West Bank, as of Thursday. The department also says it's offering consular services upon arrival in third safe locations, and is arranging transportation for Canadians hoping to leave the region. GAC has arranged for five more people to travel on buses from the West Bank to Jordan, and for seven more people to fly from Jordan to Greece on a chartered flight. In a post on X on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand also issued an update, writing that Israeli and Iranian airspace are open , though commercial flights may be limited. Canadians in the Middle East are being encouraged to register with GAC. As of Tuesday, there were 5,601 Canadians in Iran, 6,146 in Israel, 450 in the West Bank and Gaza, 7,112 in Qatar, and 1,017 in Iraq, according to GAC. 'Tensions between Israel and Iran remain high,' Anand wrote. The conflict between Israel and Iran escalated two weeks ago, when Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran. Following Iranian retaliation and further assault from both sides, the U.S. also struck Iranian sites. The adversaries have since accepted a ceasefire, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. 'Israeli authorities have largely lifted restrictions across the country, allowing for a return to full activity,' according to the update from GAC. 'Reports from Iran point to a gradual return to normal activities.' The government has faced criticism for lacking efficiency in helping Canadians leave the Middle East, including from former Conservative MPs Michelle Ferreri and Rick Perkins, both of whom were in Israel when the conflict escalated. Both have since returned home. According to GAC, the department will reduce the frequency of its updates going forward as the ceasefire holds, but will issue them when there is new information.
