This past Sunday marked the 100^th day since thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, rampaged through the country’s south, murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds more. In this edition of the Action Update, we will discuss the current status of the conflict, from Gaza to Washington.

100 Days in Hell

One-hundred-and-thirty-two hostages remain in Hamas captivity. Given the horrors the terrorists gleefully filmed themselves inflicting on Israelis during the 10/7 massacre, we dare not fathom what savagery Israel’s innocents have endured during the past 100 days.

Israel’s top priority remains rescuing those held by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza. And they must achieve that mission while also eliminating the Hamas threat – lest the terrorists be left with the means to inflict their butchery on Israel again.

Our hearts are with the hostages and their families. And we have much hope.

Natan Sharansky, a Soviet dissident turned Israeli leader who spent nine years in a Russian prison once said, “The power of the human spirit to overcome adversity is limitless.”

We are seeing that on display as the survivors of the Hamas atrocities and released hostages tell their stories. The world will try to silence these voices – especially the women. But we will amplify their stories because the world must bear witness.

Cornering Wolves

Shai Agnon, who, among other distinctions, helped author the modern Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel, once wrote, “If a wolf comes to kill you, you are not bound to pat its back.”

It seems, however, that such is precisely what many in the international community, and right here at home, would have Israel do with the wolf that tore apart Israeli families on 10/7. Well, the answer appears to be (a less family friendly version of) “no.”

Every day, Israeli soldiers are making progress in the aforementioned objectives. The focus of the heaviest fighting is now in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis, a sprawling and densely populated area which poses exceptional challenges for the IDF. Though the fighting there is difficult, and battles continue to pop up in northern Gaza, Israel is consistently making advances against the enemy.

Jerusalem has also reportedly informed Egypt that the IDF plans to take over Gaza’s southern border, commonly referred to as the Philadelphi Corridor, with Egypt for the time being. This will not be a simple operation, but it will enable Israel to ensure that the flow of arms from Egypt into Gaza is halted.

As all this is taking place, there have been nearly daily terror attacks in Israel, the most recent of which claimed the life of an Israeli woman and wounded more than a dozen others. The coming, days, weeks and months will be difficult for Israel, but we will be there to support the Jewish state, every step of the way.

God Hates a Coward

Sadly, it does not appear the same can yet be said of the United States Congress. Shamefully, Congress is once again debating the same issues it was debating months ago while allowing vital policies, including any tangible support for Israel, to languish.

The Senate will vote on a vehemently anti-Israel “privileged” resolution offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders – so it seems there’s time to debate and vote on meaningless resolutions authored by politicians who seem to think hearing the sound of their own voice amounts to governing (but we digress). 

Increasingly, what we’re hearing from the field is that the people consider the current Congressional disfunction to be nothing short of (a less family friendly version of) political malpractice.

We know a lot of Congressional staff read this, so feel free to pass on the following… The people want their elected officials to govern. They pay attention to the issues that matter to them, and we know at least 10 million people for whom preserving democracy and supporting Israel are pretty important.

Waiting for a new president to do your job is the functional equivalent of hiding behind the apron strings. It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing, and when in doubt, never forget God hates a coward.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund