There is a quiet crisis unfolding in Israel — one that triggers no sirens, interrupts no broadcasts, and rarely makes headlines.

Yet it is no less real. For tens of thousands of self-employed Israelis, the war is not only being fought on the front lines. It is being fought in empty appointment books, canceled projects, and the slow, grinding erosion of income.

The numbers are impossible to ignore. According to data from the Israel Democracy Institute, nearly half of Israel’s self-employed report a decline in business activity since the latest escalation, with many seeing drops of 40 to 50 percent. For some, the loss is total — a complete halt in income. These are not temporary fluctuations. They are the kind of sustained disruptions that break businesses.

And this did not begin with the current war. For many, it is the continuation of a longer ordeal. Since 2020, Israel’s independent workforce has absorbed one shock after another: the pandemic, repeated rounds of conflict, prolonged uncertainty, and now yet another escalation. As noted in analysis........

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