From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Israelis ring in 2024, hoping to leave hardships of past year behind
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Israelis usher in 2024, pulling the curtain on a year that seemed to go from bad to worse, with the deep national rift over the hard-right government’s judicial overhaul abruptly being replaced on October 7 with national shock at Hamas’s October 7 massacres and the subsequent lengthy war, which Israel says will likely stretch throughout all of next year as well.
Some Israeli revelers are nevertheless trying to keep spirits up, flocking to bars in Tel Aviv and other cities. Others, mainly immigrants from the former Soviet Union, are marking the Russian festival of Novi God.
For Israelis, time stopped on October 7th.
As the world marks New Year’s Eve, more than 100 Israelis are being held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Every minute counts. #BringThemAllHome #NewYears2024 pic.twitter.com/v5vDpwikXE
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) December 31, 2023
The Times of Israel Community.