Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip since the surprise weekend attack by Hamas operatives on in which hundreds were killed in the border areas. From airstrikes to ground assault, Israeli forces are pushing Hamas gunmen back in the conflict that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says is war. Many former soldiers and reservists have reported back on duty for Israel’s war against Hamas. Women are playing a crucial role in the war, as soldiers, as journalists and as medical personnel.
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Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has shared videos and photos of these women officers on active duty. One of the soldiers is seen describing the offence on Kibbutz Be’eri.
Some of the faces of the Israel-Hamas war:
Moriah Mencer: The former IDF soldier flew to Israel to fight against Hamas, after one of her friends was “murdered” in the attack over the weekend.
She posted a video from London’s Heathrow airport in which she said, “We’ve rushed back to Israel because our friends are in very unfortunate situations. Some of my friends are missing. I’ve just found out that one of my friends has been murdered in her home two days ago. So we got the first flight we could.”
Ella Waweya: Known across the world (and social media) as “Captain Ella”, she is the first Muslim Arab woman to publicly become a major in the IDF.
On IDF’s Instagram handle, the officer is seen sharing updates about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, along with a message of unity for the success of Israel.
Zohar and Liron: The couple survived the horrific massacre at Supernova music festival in southern Israel on Saturday. Immediately after escaping, they both reported for reserve duty in the Combat Engineering Corps’ reserve battalion.
Plestia Alaqad: The journalist from Palestine has been using her phone to document the widespread devastation all around her. Ms Alaqad is based in Gaza and has been sharing how life has become since the Israel-Hamas war that started on Saturday.
A quick look at her Instagram account shows the marked difference in her posts. Her posts since three days ago have taken a 180 degree turn from her previous posts that show her normal, Instagram-worthy life.
Miki Dubery: The 23-year-old journalist emigrated to Tel Aviv from the US two years ago. Since the Hamas assault, she has spoken to several victims and reported on atrocities committed in the region.
Speaking to a US television channel, Ms Dubery dubbed the ongoing conflict as “Terror versus Israel and Hamas versus the Palestinians,” and urged people to care, saying, “This will affect humanity.”
According to International Women’s Media Foundation, at least seven journalists were killed in the first three days of fighting.
On Thursday, Israel and Hamas traded more fire. Israel has also imposed a “complete siege” on the Palestinian territory, cutting off electricity, water and fuel supplies into Gaza.
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said earlier on Thursday that the supplies will not be resumed until Hamas militants free all the hostages held in the Gaza Strip.