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Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-783389
A Just War, with an Overwhelming Cost
(Jerusalem Post) Editorial - In the horrific explosions in central Gaza on Monday, just meters away from Israel's border, 21 fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers were extinguished, 21 dreams were snuffed out, 21 families were left devastated. One might have expected that a tragedy of this magnitude would have led to a chorus of voices inside Israel saying, "Enough is enough; it is time to end the war and bring the soldiers home." But that chorus did not emerge, and that is telling. To the contrary, the dominant message heard Monday was the need to continue forward, despite the mind-numbing loss. That message - keep fighting, despite the cost - is one heard often at the funerals of fallen soldiers as well as in conversations with soldiers and reservists who have fought in Gaza. These reactions showed that almost 16 weeks into a war that Israel neither expected, wanted, nor triggered, the country has not lost sight of what it is all about. Israel is fighting because its people were murdered, mutilated, and raped; Israel is fighting to get back those hostages taken by a maniacal terrorist regime; Israel is fighting to ensure that Hamas can never do this again; and Israel is fighting to send a message to others who may seek to emulate Hamas that it would not be in their interests to do so. This war with Hamas is a just war of no choice. This explains the widespread support to continue it, despite the exorbitantly high price and the pain and sorrow felt by millions of Israelis.