Early Saturday morning, Hamas launched a surprise invasion of southern Israel by air, land, and sea. In an unprecedented moment in Israel’s history, nearly two dozen southern communities were overrun with terrorists, suffering unfathomable losses, with women, children, and the elderly, as well as entire families, brutally slaughtered by their bloodthirsty assailants. The death toll is still rising, but as of now, it is known that more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered and at least 150 others taken captive to the Gaza Strip.

Evidence of the rapes of women, beheading of infants, and kidnapping of civilians of all age made this attack a blatant crime against humanity. It is the worst tragedy to befall the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 

Following this Iran-backed pogrom, Israel officially declared war against Hamas. Countries around the world, from Japan to Canada, have denounced the ISIS-style atrocities perpetrated by Hamas, and the Biden administration in the U.S. and a majority of European nations not only expressed solidarity with Israel but also adamantly supported its right to self-defense. 

The Israeli military has begun to mobilize along the borders with the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Reservists are returning to Israel from abroad to join their units and a growing number of Israeli civilians are volunteering with emergency response groups, such as Magen David Adom. In the wake of this horrific tragedy, Israel has been transformed with spirit of unity as it embarks on what will likely be a lengthy and complicated military campaign on multiple fronts.

Since Saturday’s attack, Jewish communities worldwide have faced a wave of antisemitic acts incited by events in the Middle East. From San Francisco to New York. and Paris to Vienna, thousands of demonstrators have celebrated Hamas’ barbaric actions and called for violence against Jews.

Governments and law enforcement agencies across the globe are monitoring a significant rise in antisemitism and are seeking to protect Jewish populations. This only confirms the intrinsic relationship between anti-Zionism and Jew-hatred, a clear sign that policymakers must urgently adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Working Definition of Antisemitism.

 The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) is proud to stand with all Israelis and Diaspora Jewry at this perilous moment in history. To support Israel in this hour of dire need, CAM has launched an Israel Emergency Support Fund. Your donation will be matched by CAM donors and have a powerful impact in providing urgent aid to those affected by Saturday’s horrors and their aftermath.

This Week’s Global Antisemitism Report highlights 102 new reports of antisemitic incidents. The total includes 28 (27.45%) from the far-right, 23 (22.55%) from the far-left, 44 (43.14%) with Islamist motivations, and 7 (6.86%) unidentifiable in nature.