Israeli Journalist Daphna Liel Covered the Human Cost of Israel’s War with Hamas

On October 1, Iran fired approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. Israel vowed retaliation. 24 days later, on October 26, the IDF struck 20 targets in Iran, mostly military bases, causing damage.

According to IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, ‘The retaliatory attack was completed and its objectives were achieved’. But it’s not over yet. Hagari warned Iran that if the regime in Iran makes a mistake and starts a new round of tension, Israel will have to respond.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant echoed the same sentiment. Speaking with pilots and air crews at Hatzeri Base recently, Gallant said, “After attacking Iran, everyone will understand what you did in the preparation and training process. Everyone who dreamed of defeating and attacking us a year ago paid the price.” “The price is high and he is no longer in that dream.”

Let’s go back to October 7, 2023. For many Israelis, October 7 (known as Hamas Massacre day) is not over yet. The trauma is still present. The scars refuse to heal. Rockets are fired at Israel every day. While most fall in open areas, some cause damage; injuring and killing innocent civilians. Air Raid sirens are routine. Drone attacks are quite common. One such drone, sent by the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, eventually hit the personal residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Imagine, it came this far. As the war in Gaza and Southern Lebanon continued, Israel also suffered losses. According to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, a total of 890 Israeli soldiers and other security personnel have died since October 7. It is unclear whether the five soldiers who were declared dead on Friday are included in this figure.

Daphna Liel (@DaphnaLiel), Senior Journalist at leading Israeli news network Channel 12, has a story to tell. ‘We’re still in the middle of the story,’ says Liel, who covered the aftermath of the Hamas massacre. He described the horrors committed by Hamas terrorists in the Kibbutz and Moshav. Daphna tells a very painful story. ‘I remember there was a slightly burnt football in the garden of a house I passed. My daughter is a football player. ‘This affected me so much that this could have happened to any Israeli.’ Kibbutz and Moshav residents have not yet returned to their homes. Most of it is still in ruins.

Daphna, who follows the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), believes Israel has made significant gains in Gaza but warns that Hamas still rules Gaza. According to him, ‘The greatest fear of Israeli citizens is that once the Israeli Armed Forces withdraw from Gaza, Hamas will make all its efforts to regain its military power. We already know what their intentions are. They haven’t changed. They won’t change.’ What will be the fate of the remaining 101 hostages? Hamas said nothing about these. Liel is worried. He adds: ‘Families are very worried about their loved ones. Ceasefire talks will begin in Doha. Mossad Chief will go to Qatar on Sunday. He will meet with the Prime Minister of Qatar and the head of the CIA to restart talks on the hostage deal. Negotiations are also being held with the Egyptians.’ He believes that Israel is trying to do something after the killing of Yahya Sinwar. He raises the issue of the hostage agreement and elaborates further: ‘I would say that Israel is open to new ideas to bring back the hostages. It’s so important to bring them home right now. I think it’s time now. And I think many people on our side understand that this is the right time to proceed with a hostage agreement.’

Amidst all this, how is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s performance on the political front? Is he under pressure to end this war? Was the opposition able to hold him responsible for the massive intelligence failure that eventually led to the October 7 Hamas Massacre? Liel thinks otherwise. According to him, Netanyahu has become even stronger. How? He explains: ‘The ruling coalition feels that such an investigation should only take place once the war is over. The assessment is that this will happen after the next elections. The opposition is not strong enough to force such an investigation. Their numbers in the Parliament are not sufficient. So it is not currently possible to achieve this during war. Perhaps after the war is over, some of Netanyahu’s coalition members will press for an investigation into the intelligence failure.’