What October 7th Revealed
8 October 2024
This is a repost of an essay by Ksenia Svetlova of ROPES, an organization I support.
Yesterday, we marked a year since the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7th and a year of war that has upended the lives of all Israelis and Palestinians. In their sheer barbarism, the Hamas atrocities reminded us of what humanity is capable of at its worst. But, in the year since, we have also seen humanity at its best through countless acts of heroism and kindness—from first responders and ordinary citizens, both Jewish and Arab, who risked their own lives to save others, to people of goodwill around the world who have rallied to bring humanitarian relief to Palestinians displaced by the war and to advocate for the Israelis still being held hostage in Gaza.
For many Israelis like myself, the sheer surprise of the October 7th attacks evoked the memory of the Yom Kippur War that began exactly 50 years and one day earlier. And yet, other events over the past year have revealed how much the geopolitical landscape of our region has changed over those five decades—be it Jordanian cooperation in downing Iranian missiles, mediation efforts by Egypt and Qatar to secure the release of hostages and a durable ceasefire, the remarkable endurance of Israel’s recent accords with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, and the continued efforts of Saudi Arabia to expand that circle of peace in a way that also advances the legitimate Palestinian quest for self-determination. We are still far from the post-conflict Middle East we all yearn for, but there are reasons to remain hopeful.
As we mourn all innocent lives lost on October 7th and in the year since, may we all find the strength to continue fighting for a future in which Israelis and Palestinians are good neighbors rather than sworn enemies.
Yesterday, we mourned. Today, let us act.
Shana Tova,
Ksenia Svetlova
P.S. If you would like to help Israeli and Palestinian civilians affected by the ongoing conflict, we encourage you to consider supporting one of the front-line organizations below.
United Hatzalah
World Central Kitchen
Hostages and Missing Families Forum
International Rescue Committee
If you like these essays, please subscribe or share them with others. These essays will always be free. Instead of giving me money, please repost these essays, strive to make our world a better place and try to make yourself a better person.
The index to this blog is here.
I have another blog on Cancer and Medicine.
Follow me on LinkedIn, Threads and Instagram (npernickmich) and Tribel (@nat385440b).
Email me at Nat@PathologyOutlines.com.
I also publish Notes at https://substack.com/note. Subscribers will automatically see my notes.