The war in Gaza has had many impacts on social life in Israel, most of which are negative and can last for years.
More than five months after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, and Israel’s heavy-handed military response in Gaza, which is still ongoing and has claimed more than 30,000 Palestinian lives to date, Israeli social life has undergone significant and irreversible changes mostly in negative ways.
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Many Israelis continue to live in displacement
After the October 7 attack, more than 94,000 Israelis remain displaced, having been evacuated from their homes near the troubled Lebanon border. About 32,000 of them are still staying in hotels across Israel, far from their homes, according to internal Israeli government data. It is also unclear when these people will be able to return to their homes and resume normal life. This situation has left many Israelis in a state of uncertainty and confusion.
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Israelis believe that the world has turned its back on them
As the war in Gaza continues, more and more Israelis come to believe that their image is deteriorating in the eyes of the people of the world. In fact, along with the Israeli army, which is fighting Hamas and Hezbollah, the Israeli people are also engaged in a war to prove to the world that they are actually victims and not aggressors, an approach that is the main excuse for Israel’s aggression on Palestinian land since the end of World War II.
In this regard, young Israeli influencers are fighting a massive war in social media. 25-year-old Shiraz Shekron, for example, who is a famous Israeli influencer with more than half a million followers on Instagram, has been publishing videos about the crimes of Hamas and the oppression of Israelis since the beginning of the Gaza war.
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The Israeli society is now cruller than ever towards Palestinians
The Israeli society, which was deeply divided and divided due to internal disputes, especially the issue of reforming the Israeli Court of Justice, has now regained its unity and integrity thanks to the Gaza war. The slogan Yachad Nenetzeach!, Together We Will Win!, is scattered all over Israel; On the buildings of technology companies, on highway signs, on buses, in alleys and on the doors of houses.
A common phrase that has become popular in Israel these days is the change in the acceptance of the concept of haconceptzia, which refers to the assumptions that Israelis had about living alongside Palestinians. Many Israelis now say that they no longer believe in coexistence with the Palestinians as before, and that no Arab Muslim should ever live near them. To make matters even worse, while Palestinian children in Gaza are suffering from severe hunger, recent polls conducted in Israel in mid-February show that 68% of Israeli Jews are against sending any humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
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Israelis no longer rely on the army for protection
On October 7, many civilians spent a full day under Hamas attacks before Israeli soldiers arrived to save their lives. This has led to a profound change in the concept of security in Israeli society. Many Israelis now believe that they must fend for themselves.
According to Israeli media, since the attack by Hamas on October 7 until the end of February, more than 9,200 new permits to purchase weapons have been issued in Israel, which is an unprecedented number. Israel’s local police have also mobilized more than 900 armed security squads, the majority of which were formed after October 7 to patrol cities and streets across Israel, consisting of 12,500 police-trained volunteers.
- People of Israel are
preparing for a possible war with a more equipped enemy
Even if the war in Gaza ends, the Israelis are turning their eyes to their northern borders, preparing for a potential new war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is much more armed and better equipped than Hamas and has long-range missiles that can cripple Israel. Israel and US diplomacy hope to prevent such a war, but many Israelis, frustrated with the government’s handling of the war crisis, are preparing for the war.
According to published statistics from Israeli sources, many Israelis have made metal protective structures and installed them outside their houses and buildings. Most of the people are also buying and storing dry food and are purchasing large industrial generators to prepare for the days of war when finding food and access to electricity will be severely limited.
