‘War of Revival’: Cabinet to vote on Netanyahu proposal to rename Gaza war

The cabinet will vote on Sunday to officially rename the war against Hamas and Iran’s proxies, “War of Revival,” Hebrew media reported on Friday.

The proposal, brought forward by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, would replace the current name, “Swords of Iron,” which was announced by the Israel Defense Forces on the day of the Hamas onslaught on October 7, 2023, shortly after the premier’s declaration that Israel was at war.

Despite its formal name, many in Israel refer to the conflict as the “October 7 war.”

Critics have suggested that the government’s proposed name is part of an attempt to evade responsibility for any failures that occurred ahead of October 7, 2023, and on the day itself.

Despite receiving several warnings by the security establishment in the years and months before October 7, Netanyahu has avoided taking responsibility for the massacre, repeatedly asserting that the security establishment — not political leaders — failed to prevent the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. He has also refused to authorize a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding October 7.

Opposition chairman Yair Lapid blasted the Netanyahu-led effort, tweeting, “You want revival? Start with a simple thing: ask for forgiveness.”

Tzur Goldin, whose brother Hadar Goldin was killed in Gaza in 2014 and whose body has been held by Hamas since, wrote on X that “it is forbidden to hold discussions about the name of the war, medal ceremonies, or any other event that seeks to wrap up the war until all the hostages are here.”

By trying to rename the war now, “The government is burying the hostages — in two senses. Just like what happened in Operation Protective Edge (2014),” Goldin wrote, referencing the operation during which his brother was killed and kidnapped.

Netanyahu first suggested the name “War of Revival” a year ago at a cabinet meeting to mark the first anniversary of the start of the conflict, saying, “This is the war of our existence — the ‘War of Revival.’”

In December, the Kan public broadcaster reported that Netanyahu was looking at various alternative titles for the war, including the “Genesis War,” “Gaza War,” and “Simhat Torah War.”

While military operations fought by Israel have often been given names such as Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021 or Operation Protective Edge in 2014, formally recognized wars are given more straightforward names, such as the Six Day War in 1967, the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and the Second Lebanon War in 2006.