Enduring pain keeps public support for Gaza war strong in Israel

Life in Tel Aviv appears normal for Rhona Ukrainsky three months after Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, but the pain and fear are just under the surface, causing her to cry when the subject is mentioned and flinch when she hears a loud noise.

The trauma inflicted by the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust has not faded. She feels distraught over the hatred directed at her country by Hamas and its allies, and fearful for the safety of her three young children.

“Sometimes you just try to keep with daily things, take the kids, go to work,” said Ukrainsky, 35, a finance director at a medical equipment company, who was out walking in the city with her newborn baby in a pram.