The towns near the Strip are almost uninhabited, universities are at a standstill, there is great insecurity and gun sales have increased
Just over a month has passed since the Hamas attacks in Israel, but the trauma of the incident, unprecedented in Israeli history, continues to have significant consequences: local newspapers most often report a widespread sense of insecurity due to the lack of trust in both the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, who was already highly controversial before the attacks, as well as against the secret service and the army, who were accused of being taken completely by surprise and not having received any warning of the attack.
The ongoing war also has a direct impact on the daily lives of many Israelis, compounded by uncertainty about the outcome and duration of the conflict. In the first weeks after the Hamas attack, schools, restaurants, shopping centers and clubs in Israel were closed. Employees in companies and offices worked remotely wherever possible, supermarkets saw an increase in sales, especially of food, while cities remained largely deserted, as was the case during the pandemic.
Today, Israel is trying to return to normality, although with some complications, including the fact that around 5 percent of the population has given up their studies and work to answer the army’s call (mostly people between the ages of 21 and 40).
– Also read: The Impact of the War on the Israeli Economy
The schools have resumed in-person operations since the end of October: They were reopened on the condition that a shelter against rockets and missiles was available nearby. Some, some without shelter, are continuing distance learning while areas near Gaza and Lebanon remain closed. The calls from the reservists also led to a reduction in teaching staff, various organizational problems and a reduction in hours for some students.
Installations in Tel Aviv call for the release of the hostages (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
However, the universities remained largely without students: almost all Israelis in this age group who were not of Arab descent were drafted into the army. Even for the 20 percent of Israeli Arabs, classes have not yet started again: the start of the academic year has been postponed to December 3, with the idea of extending it into the summer.
Most restaurants and clubs have reopened, especially in Tel Aviv. Nightlife is also gradually returning to normal in the Shuk, Jerusalem’s large market. After a few weeks of closure, some venues are reopening, with the normally loud music remaining in the background for now to “create atmosphere.”
A street in Tel Aviv with a teddy bear, an installation commemorating the hostages kidnapped by Hamas (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
The construction industry is experiencing many difficulties due to the closure of the borders with Gaza and the West Bank, as a large part of the 150,000 work permits issued to Palestinian citizens concerned this sector. The absence of many Asian immigrants who returned to their respective countries in the days after the attacks was particularly felt in the countryside, where the many missing workers were replaced by volunteers from the cities.
The effects of the war were particularly noticeable in the most touristy places. A month after the attacks, Jerusalem’s Old City, normally crowded with visitors from around the world, is still almost completely empty. Trips, flights and tours have been canceled, most tourism-related businesses remain closed and the streets are almost deserted.
After the attacks, over 200,000 Israelis were evacuated from areas near the Gaza Strip and Lebanon borders. The city of Sderot (which had 35,000 inhabitants) and the small communities near Ashkelon are now almost completely uninhabited, while other places have the opposite problem: in Eliat on the Red Sea, over 60,000 refugees have arrived, the hotels in the school area are full and schools had to organize double shifts to accommodate all the children. 25,000 people have arrived in Jerusalem, including 7,000 from the border with Lebanon: the city has set up a number of assistance measures for displaced families, including a database of volunteer babysitters.
A resident of Kibbutz Be’eri who moved to a hotel on the Red Sea (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
Even those who remained in their homes have often changed their habits: Israeli newspapers tell many stories of traumatized citizens having trouble leaving their homes or sleeping in safe rooms.
The most visible effect, however, is an increasing prevalence of firearms, which more and more Israelis carry as a tool of defense: pistols are common, but semi-automatic rifles can also be seen. According to Israel’s Ministry of National Security, 120,000 gun license applications have been applied for since October 7: as many as in the previous two years. The shooting ranges are particularly crowded and in various cities, groups of neighbors have joined forces to form armed emergency teams in the event of a terrorist attack.
A man with an assault rifle on the Tel Aviv waterfront (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The feeling of insecurity has also made coexistence with the Arab minorities in the country more complex. Israeli historian and writer Gideon Avital-Eppstein told the Spanish newspaper El País: “The majority of Israelis today are experiencing a cognitive dissonance: until recently they were convinced that there was something similar to peace and that it worked.”
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