Newsfront


Everything Has Changed


On 2nd anniversary of Oct. 7 attacks, Israel is a stronger country, writes Ambassador David Friedman.


I O


will never forget the sab- bath day, almost two years ago, when my phone began ringing off the hook. Normally, I would ignore the inter-


ruption and preserve the sanctity of Shabbat in the holy city of Jerusalem. But the phone kept ringing, and I suspected there might be an emergen- cy that would take precedence over religious observance. The calls were coming from my


security team, and they included a video of Jeeps rolling through the streets of an Israeli town, people being


shot, and others being kidnapped. My heart sank as I realized the magnitude of the calamity confront- ing Israel. Being in Jerusalem on Oct. 7, 2023,


was difficult enough without having to shuttle my children and grand- children in and out of shelters as the sirens wailed. My eldest granddaughter asked


me: “Why are there people who want to kill us who don’t even know us?” To this day, I have searched unsuc-


cessfully for an adequate answer. The pain of Oct. 7 continues to


They Will Survive White House correspondent John Gizzi


reports from scene of carnage.


ct. 7, 2023, was Israel’s 9/11. A visit to the Nova Music


Festival site and meeting with the survivors of the carnage brought about by Hamas’ sneak


8 NEWSMAX | OCTOBER 2025


attack explains the constant preparation and readiness one sees today throughout Israel. Hamas unleashed a barrage of 4,300 rockets into Israel


be felt two years later. In the most immediate sense, there remain doz- ens of hostages — some living, some unfortunately not — who have yet to be reunited with their families. Their suffering, made all the more


palpable by the cruel videos circu- lated by Hamas, is unbear- able. And yet they remain in captivity. In addition to the hos-


tages, nearly 1,000 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza war and many more thousands have been wounded. There is not a single fam-


ily in Israel that has not had a close connection with a casualty of this war.


early that Oct. 7 morning. About 6,000 fighters smashed through the fence separating Gaza from Israel, attacking 21 Israeli communities and massacring their residents. They tossed hand grenades


and fired at thousands of defenseless young people enjoying a music festival in


the desert. Three hundred and sixty- four concertgoers were slain. Some were beheaded. In total, 1,195 were killed


that day — 736 Israeli civilians, including 38 children, 379 members of the Israeli security forces, and 79 foreign nationals. About 250 civilians and


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