For more than two weeks, Israel has been under constant missile fire.
It began on “Shabbat Zachor,” the Sabbath before Purim, when we read the Torah’s commandment to obliterate the memory of Amalek (Deuteronomy 25:17–19).
It continued into Purim, when we read in the book of Esther about the downfall of Haman and the Persian empire that sought to destroy us.
Now, day and night, millions of Israelis are living between the alarm sirens and the shelters.
Everyone in Israel is exhausted. Not one single night goes by without a siren interrupting the darkness. Having to jump awake, grab your children, and scramble to safety multiple times a night, and often during the day, leaves everyone’s nerves shattered and their bodies and minds at the breaking point.
Across Israel, in conversations everywhere – in homes, on the streets, even inside the shelters – there is a shared feeling: Thistime, we may finally be witnessing the end of a long and terrible chapter.
The State of Israel struck directly at the heart of the regime that has threatened our existence for more than forty years – the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iranian leadership that built a network of terror around Israel.
In one of the most significant operations in Israeli military history, dozens of senior figures responsible for terror and destruction were eliminated within seconds. The regime is now lashing out with everything it has left – missiles, threats, and propaganda – trying to restore a pride that has already been shattered.
But inside Israel, even as we sit in shelters, the feeling is clear: Justice is moving in the world.
A brutal regime that has terrorized its own people and threatened the Jewish state for decades is finally being confronted.
We pray not only for the safety of Israel, but also for the freedom of the Iranian people, who have suffered under that regime for far too long.
Throughout these difficult weeks, we have felt something else as well: The sane part of the world is standing with us!
Our Christian friends and many from around the globe understand the historic moment we are living through. They know that what is happening now will shape the future of the Middle East – and perhaps the future of the world.
But even in this moment of miracles and courage, there is a painful reality. Many families in Judea and Samaria are still living without adequate protection. Some live in temporary homes and caravans without reinforced shelters.
Over the past few days, our office has received multiple urgent requests from communities that simply lack the resources to keep their families safe.
They are requesting basic security equipment to defend their communities – emergency shelters, surveillance drones, and critical safety equipment.
The pioneers of the Biblical Heartland are in very real and grave danger. This past week, a large fragment of an Iranian missile landed near children who were herding sheep at a farm in the Benjamin region. Standing next to the shrapnel, Yisrael Ganz, governor of the Benjamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Regional Council, said:
“There is no difference between Judea and Samaria and the rest of the State of Israel. The people living on these farms protect the land and help shield us from our enemies while we sit in our safe rooms. They need protective shelters.”
Iranian missile debris falls near children herding sheep in Binyamin, Israel on March 9, 2026. (photo credit: Binyamin Regional Council Spokesperson)
I want to say something to you that I rarely say so directly.
As you read this article, we will have just completed our month-long autumn holiday season. The season begins with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which is first mandated in the Bible. biblical
Almost 3,000 years ago, the ancient city of Dothan was the setting for a most miraculous demonstration of God’s protection for His people and specifically, His prophets.
In this special conversation from the sukkah, Shmuel sits down with Frank van Oordt , director of Christians for Israel (C4I) in the Netherlands, to discuss the dramatic new developments surrounding Israel and the Netherlands.
The hilltops of Judea, the very landscapes where the future King David once fled from King Saul and where the tribes of Judah and Simeon, along with the Levites, lived during the days of the Temple. What we saw was nothing less than a miracle!
Are we still at war? I have been writing this column “War Diaries” for over two years now and for the most part have documented the feelings, motivations and realities that we are facing in Israel since that terrible day on 7 October 2023.
