“You load sixteen tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt” – chorus from the song “Sixteen Tons” by Merle Travis.

“The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence it would fall back of its own weight. They had thought for some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than ceaseless and futile labor.” Albert Camus

Friday, July 3rd, 2026, marks 1,000 days since October 7, 2023.

October 7, 2023, was the worst date in Israel’s history when a total of 1,195 people were killed, and 251 were taken hostage, as a result of Hamas-led terrorists crossing into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. This includes at least 828 civilians, including 36 children, 71 foreign nationals, and at least 367 members of Israeli security forces. 364 civilians were killed at the Nova Music Festival.

To this day, 1,000 days later, we still do not know exactly what happened, what systems broke down and failed, and who bears which responsibilities for the failure. Painfully, neither do we know exactly how many fatalities were due to friendly fire. The reason we do not know is that the Netanyahu-led government has consistently refused to allow for the appointment of an independent state commission of inquiry. In the interim, several security, intelligence, and military leaders have resigned, taking full responsibility for their roles in the failures that led to October 7. Not one government minister or politician has taken responsibility or accepted any blame for their role in leading to the failure and the accompanying loss of life.

Subsequently, Israel decided to go to war with Hamas and started what was to be a conflict that has not yet been resolved. A Trump administration-brokered ceasefire came into effect on October 10, 2025, after more than 2 years of war in Gaza. In this period, an estimated 67,000 – 75,000 Gazans were killed and 169,000 wounded. There is no breakdown of how many were combatants; estimates indicate that 56% were women, children, and the elderly. At least 466 IDF personnel were killed in Gaza in that period. More than 20,000 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were injured in the conflict. According to the Israel Ministry of Defense, around 22,000 wounded soldiers were added to their Rehabilitation Department treatment program by late 2025, with nearly 58% of them suffering from mental health conditions. About 880 were severely injured, with the most critically injured suffering amputations, permanent paralysis, sustained irreversible gunshot, blast, or trauma. 132 soldiers are permanently wheelchair bound, 5 soldiers have suffered a complete loss of sight, and 64 soldiers have been permanently designated with a 100% disability. 66% of the injured are reservists, which has critically impacted their work and family lives. The total number of named dead Israeli security forces over the last 1,000 days is 1,039, including 969 soldiers and 70 police officers. This total of more than one death a day on average includes another soldier killed in Lebanon a few days ago.

Netanyahu declared two mutually exclusive........

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