In 2003, my unit was deployed to Rafah for one of the most complex missions of my life: searching for the remains of soldiers who had been killed along the Philadelphi Corridor after an anti-tank missile struck their APC as they were on their way to locate and destroy a tunnel.
Under continuous sniper fire, we combed through the sands of Rafah, collecting the soldiers’ remains and bringing them to burial in Israel. Two soldiers fell during that mission, and after the difficult battle, thoughts of doubt flooded my mind. Is it worth it?
I asked the brigade commander, Col. Pinki Zoaretz, of blessed memory. His answer has stayed with me ever since: If there is no value in even the smallest part that remains of an IDF soldier, then there is no value in Israeli society at all.
The operation to return the late St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili to his family and to burial in Israel is not just another mission: It is an inseparable part of the struggle over our very identity as a people and as a state. At its core, the question is not merely security-related or military in nature – it is about who we are and what our future will be.
When Hamas rose against us on that terrible morning of October 7, it did not only challenge Israel’s borders or our military capabilities: It sought to undermine our right to exist and the very foundations of our national identity. Therefore, this campaign in general – and the return of Ran Gvili in particular – is first and foremost a battle over identity, over our commitment and responsibility to every individual in our nation, over the legitimacy of our existence in this land, over our ability to stand as a free people in our own state, and over our faith in the justice of our path.
Why it's time to finish off Hamas
In this war, two critical dimensions are unfolding simultaneously: the present and the future.
The insistence on returning all the hostages held in Gaza embodied the battle over the present – our moral, ethical, and existential duty to save lives here and now. Every moment in which our soldiers and civilians were held captive was an open wound in the heart of the nation, and every effort to bring them home expressed our commitment to the value of life.
At the same time, the insistence from here onward on the decisive defeat of Hamas embodies the battle over the future. A society that cannot defeat its enemies, uproot the threat of terror, and ensure secure borders for generations to come will remain trapped in an endless cycle of bloodshed and uncertainty. The dismantling and disarmament of Hamas is not only a military objective – it is a vision for a future of stability, security, and prosperity in the State of Israel.
The beginning of Phase II is an integral part of the war, and the determination to dismantle Hamas is not only part of the struggle for life, but also – and no less importantly – for the quality of life. Part of this war for life is the moral foundation that obligates us to do everything possible not to leave hostages behind.
The completion of the phase of returning the hostages from Gaza must serve as a lesson – not the first, but one that must be the last – that it is both a security and moral obligation to decisively defeat Hamas. As long as it exists, the threat of rockets, tunnels, and kidnappings will continue to haunt us, and any dream of civilian stability will remain fragile. The defeat of the October 7 perpetrators is therefore a necessary condition not only for survival in the present, but above all to ensure that no Israeli civilian or IDF soldier will again be abducted and held as an asset by Hamas in the future.
The prolonged war in Gaza and along Israel’s other borders – and especially the kidnapping of civilians and soldiers – has tested and continues to test Israeli society. It challenges us to understand that war demands painful prices and enormous economic resources. These reflect our choice to invest in building the tools necessary for our defense, rather than in monuments to our memory.
The writer, an IDF reserve lieutenant-colonel, is CEO of the Israel Defense & Security Forum (IDSF).