Sukkot, Sinwar, and Simchat Torah

In Kfar Aza, there are still sukkot that stand. A silent, mournful testimony to the families that will no longer occupy them or are alive to take them down. They also stand as a defiant reminder to the latest generation of Amalek who wish to destroy us: you may murder, burn, rape, kidnap, and mutilate, but we will still stand, proud of who we are, rooted in our beliefs and our traditions. They are a symbol of our survival and resilience in the darkest times. Sukkot still stand in the other towns and communities whose once vibrant life was brought to a standstill that Black Saturday.

This year, Israelis approached Sukkot, a time of joy, with great trepidation. How could we celebrate when we still live under the constant clouds of war and when 101 remain captive in the terror tunnels of Gaza? We also knew that we had to celebrate because not to do so would mean that Hamas had dominion over our joy in our ancient customs. The sukkot went up, this time decorated with the names and faces of the hostages and yellow ribbons in solidarity.

On the first day of Sukkot, the rumours started. A terrorist bearing a striking resemblance to Yahya Sinwar had been eliminated. Israelis held their collective breath. Was it him? Dental records that matched his distinctive teeth and his DNA, which was on record in Israel from his prior incarceration, confirmed it a little later. The “Butcher of Khan Younis” and mastermind of the 7 October atrocity was dead. The now iconic photograph of his body lying in the rubble, bullet wound to the head, surrounded by soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was beamed around the world.

Footage of him sitting in an armchair, significantly wounded, throwing a plank at an IDF drone showed a man alone, his bodyguards either eliminated or fled. Sinwar was eliminated in Rafah, a part of the Gaza Strip where Israel was cautioned by its allied partners not to enter. Once again, the Jewish state has proven that we understand our enemy and how to fight it better than our Western allies.

Israelis greeted the news with cautious celebration, thinking first of the 101 hostages and what the death of Sinwar would mean for them. It’s no secret that Sinwar was the major obstacle to any deal that would result in the release of hostages. Hostage families welcomed news of Sinwar’s death and expressed their belief that with him removed, the time was ripe for a deal. It’s believed that Sinwar left explicit instructions for Hamas not to negotiate, but as negotiations resumed this week, it’s hoped that there may be some positive movement despite the terror organisation saying that its terms are clear. It wants a full withdrawal of IDF troops from the Gaza Strip.

The circumstances surrounding his death were poetic justice. The monster who prepared to murder and kidnap Israelis on the last day of Sukkot last year, was himself eliminated on the first day of Sukkot. The IDF soldiers who rid the world of this arch terrorist weren’t from an elite unit on a special mission, they were soldiers from the Bislamach Unit, responsible for the training of all Infantry Corps squad commanders and platoon sergeants. They were on a routine patrol in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah. Justice had been served on behalf of the thousands of Israelis who were victims of Sinwar’s murderous activities and thousands of Palestinians tortured and killed by the “butcher” and his henchmen.

What does Sinwar’s demise mean for Hamas? Hamas is now without a central commander and co-ordinator, but is still operational across the Gaza Strip. Sinwar’s death has also created a vacuum for a new leader. Will it be his brother, Mohammed Sinwar, or Khaled Mashal, living a billionaire’s life in Doha? Whoever it’s likely to be, they are a target for Israel. IDF troops are still engaged in intense combat with Hamas, albeit in counterinsurgency operations. In past days, hundreds of Hamas fighters have been captured or surrendered.

It’s written that to everything there is a season. A time to mourn, and a time for joy, a time for war, and a time to make peace. Approaching the first Simchat Torah in the shadow of 7 October was profoundly difficult. We went back to that sunny Saturday morning when our lives were forever changed. Not to celebrate Simchat Torah would give Hamas final dominion over us and so, with broken hearts, Israelis held aloft Torahs across the country and danced. We danced for them. We danced for us. This was followed by another day of mourning to coincide with the Hebrew date, but not to rob us of our joy. The Torah has sustained us through centuries, and it did so again on Simchat Torah.

A few months ago, I wrote about the dvash v’ ha oketz (the honey and the sting). As we continue to navigate the difficulties and the pain that comes with being a country enduring a war, we take the wins. In those times when we feel that the pain is overwhelming, we take strength from what has sustained the Jewish people throughout our history.

• Rolene Marks is a Middle East commentator often heard on radio and TV, and is the co-founder of Lay of the Land and the SA-Israel Policy Forum.