I write these words not as a politician, nor as a critic, but as a friend – a friend of the Jewish people, a man who holds a profound admiration for a resilient nation in a world too often veiled in darkness.
The Jewish people have endured history’s most unspeakable tragedies. The Holocaust – that abyss of human cruelty – was not merely a wound; it was a cataclysm that scarred the conscience of all humanity. Six million Jewish lives extinguished. An entire civilization targeted for annihilation. And yet, from the ashes of that horror, you rose.
With unwavering resilience and unbreakable hope, you built a nation. Not merely a safe haven, but a thriving democracy – a global engine of science, medicine, and innovation. A symbol of what human courage and determination can achieve after the deepest fall.
Resilience. Hope. These are the twin pillars of your national soul.
Then came October 7.
A day of unspeakable terror. A barbaric assault that shook the world. Civilians massacred in their homes. Children abducted. Families shattered. These were not acts of war; they were acts of pure evil.
The tragedy in Gaza
I do not question your pain. I do not question your fear. And I do not, for a single moment, question your absolute right to defend your people and ensure their safety.
But today, something else is unfolding – something deeply tragic.
The images from Gaza no longer speak only of Hamas. They show starving children, malnourished babies, weeping mothers. The humanitarian crisis is no longer abstract – it is urgent, undeniable, and unbearable.
Yes, we must speak honestly: Hamas has embedded its fighters and weapons among civilians – a tactic documented by the US State Department, the European Parliament, and independent observers. These tactics are not accusations – they are established facts.
THIS CRUELTY is central to Hamas’s methods. It does not lessen Israel’s moral responsibility – but it underscores the harrowing moral dilemmas imposed upon it.
And yet, even with this undeniable danger, the images of Gaza’s suffering now risk obscuring the fundamental reality of Israel’s self-defense after October 7. They are reshaping global perception. As the toll on innocent lives mounts, it becomes harder – in the eyes of many – to distinguish between the moral necessity of self-defense and the heartbreak of civilian agony.
Moral clarity is not the absence of danger. It is the courage to choose humanity in spite of it.
That is why I urge something bold. Something deeply human. Something historic.
Let the State of Israel take the lead in elevating its humanitarian efforts – transforming what is already being done into something larger, more visible, and morally unignorable. A mission of mercy on a scale that speaks directly to the world’s conscience, focused on the most vulnerable: Gaza’s babies, children, and women.
Let this be carried out in partnership with the United States and the nations of the Abraham Accords.
Let it bring food, clean water, medicine, blankets, and shelter. Let it move swiftly, transparently, without delay. Let it be Israeli trucks and Israeli doctors who deliver that hope – not as a gesture of weakness, but as an act of moral strength.
YES, THERE are logistical risks. Yes, security is complex. And yes – this mission must go hand in hand with unwavering resolve to bring home every Israeli hostage still held in captivity. Their anguish, and the torment endured by their families, must remain at the heart of our moral urgency.
But humanitarian compassion and national security are not enemies. They can walk together – they must.
Let the world see – even in this valley of grief – that Israel chooses to be light.
Such an act will not weaken Israel – it will elevate it.
It will not dishonor the memory of those lost on October 7 – it will honor them by ensuring that no more innocent lives are lost in vain.
I know the Jewish people. I know your history. From Moses to Maimonides, from the prophets of justice to the survivors of the Shoah who built a nation on the solemn vow of “Never again.”
This is not the time to close hearts. This is the time to open them wider than ever.
The world is watching. Not just for strength, but for moral leadership. And Israel, today, has the chance to show not only its power, but its greatness of soul.
Let the world witness this: Israeli doctors treating Palestinian children. Israeli volunteers delivering food, water, and medicine.
These moments – already happening, but too often unseen – have the power to awaken millions of hearts, even among skeptics. They remind the world of a truth too easily forgotten: that the Jewish people are not what their enemies claim. That they remain, as they have always been, a people of conscience, resilience, and compassion.
You hold the pen that will write the next chapter.
Let this be the moment when Israel shows the world – not only how it defends itself, but how it defends humanity.
Let history remember not just your strength, but your mercy.
Ahmed Charai is the chairman and CEO of the World Herald Tribune, Inc., and the publisher of the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, TV Abraham, and Radio Abraham. He serves on the boards of several prominent institutions, including the Atlantic Council, the Center for the National Interest, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and the International Crisis Group. He is also an International Councilor and a member of the Advisory Board at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.