Jerusalem:

This week, for the first time in decades, Israel will observe Yom Kippur, its holiest day, while fighting wars on multiple fronts.

From sundown on Friday until nightfall on Saturday, markets will close, flights will stop and public transport will halt as most Jews fast and pray on the Day of Atonement.

But Israeli forces will continue operations against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon.

While Israel typically shuts down for Shabbat, some shops, services and even bus lines still operate, and some broadcasters keep providing news bulletins.

Since Hamas’s October 7 attack last year, Israeli media has aired live on Shabbat and other religious days, delivering war-related updates.

Given its status as Judaism’s holiest day, Yom Kippur is traditionally observed with a complete media silence.

But this time outlets are ready to cover any major developments or updates on the wars.

Several media representatives told AFP they were prepared to go live if necessary.

“We are on high alert this Yom Kippur, but we hope there won’t be a need to go live,” said Yael Melzer, spokesperson for Keshet 12 News.

“Each situation will be assessed individually” before deciding whether to break the holiday restrictions, she said.

‘Silent channel’

Public broadcaster KAN will operate a “silent channel”, allowing television and radio stations to remain on air and only interrupting them for urgent developments, said Ilil Shahar, deputy director of the news division.

Broadcasts will continue until the start of Yom Kippur, when Israel’s national anthem, the Hatikva, will be played before the airwaves are silenced.

“We have never aired the television news this close to the start of the holiday,” Shahar said.

“We will also have a team on standby throughout the day, something we’ve never done before.”

On Thursday, Israel’s Home Front Command distributed instructions on how to receive important information during Yom Kippur, highlighting the “silent channel” and its mobile phone emergency app.

The first time Israel was at war on Yom Kippur was during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

In 1973, Egypt and Syria surprised Israel by launching an attack on Yom Kippur.

Both sides suffered heavy losses, with thousands of troops killed.

But that war took place long before the emergence of the 24-hour news cycle and constant social media updates.

‘Everything affects us’

Paul Frosh, a professor of communications at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said mass and social media provided a sense of connection, which is essential during wartime.

“It’s not just that we want to know what’s happening,” he said.

“I think what will be especially challenging this year is the loss of that sense of connection.”

Zamira Miara, 67, from the southern city of Ashkelon, said it would be “impossible to disconnect until this war is over.”

“We live in Israel, and everything affects and pains us”, she said.

For some, like Itai Elgasian, 30, a shopkeeper in Jerusalem, the silence of the mainstream media may be less of an issue due to the proliferation of social media.

“Everyone today has their own Telegram (channel)… they can scan the news there,” he said.

“I think on Yom Kippur, those channels will continue to broadcast.”

For some, however, the holiday is a break from the relentless news cycle, a welcome respite that offers time to reflect and pray for the year ahead.

“It is escapism that is sure, positive escapism, maybe we will even enjoy it and maybe it will be for the best,” said Jacky Kadosh, 72, a resident of Netanya who was visiting Jerusalem.

Liad Ben Moshe, 24, said a break from the constant “beeps of our phones” would allow worshippers to focus on their connection to the “creator of the world”.

“Disconnection leads to connection,” she said. “When you disconnect from the outside world, you can connect with yourself, and silence the background noise.

“This Yom Kippur will be more powerful because of that.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said part of the motivation for Hamas’ latest attack on Israel may have been disrupting a potential normalizing of Israel-Saudi Arabia ties and said Washington will announce new assistance for Israel on October 8.

Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns as the country suffered its bloodiest day in decades on Saturday and battered Palestinians with air strikes in Gaza on Sunday, with hundreds reportedly killed on both sides. The spiraling violence threatens a major new Middle East war.

The attack by Hamas launched at dawn on Saturday represented the biggest and deadliest incursion into Israel since Egypt and Syria launched a sudden assault in an effort to reclaim lost territory in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise that part of the motivation may have been to disrupt efforts to bring Saudi Arabia and Israel together, along with other countries that may be interested in normalizing relations with Israel,” Mr. Blinken told CNN in an interview on Sunday.

Click here to read live updates on Israel-Palestine conflict

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month he believed his country was on the cusp of peace with Saudi Arabia, predicting it could reshape the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam’s two holiest shrines, has long insisted on the Palestinians’ right to statehood as a condition of recognizing Israel – something that many members of Netanyahu’s nationalist religious coalition have long resisted.

The United said on Sunday that Saudi-Israel normalization efforts should continue despite the latest attack.

“We think it would be in both countries’ interests to continue to pursue this possibility,” U.S. Deputy National Security adviser Jon Finer told Fox News Sunday.

Fighting continues in Gaza

Mr. Blinken added the United States has also taken note of reports of several Americans killed and kidnapped in Israel and Washington is looking to verify the details and figures.

“We have reports that several Americans were killed. We’re working overtime to verify that,” he said.

The secretary of state said details of new U.S. assistance for Israel will be made public later, as he labeled the attack on Israel as a “terrorist attack by a terrorist organization.”

“We are looking at specific additional requests that the Israelis have made. I think you’re likely to hear more about that later today,” Mr. Blinken told CNN.

He added there was relative calm on Sunday in most of Israel but intense fighting in Gaza, an Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave which has witnessed weeks of protests by youth groups due to long-time grievances related to the Israeli military occupation, the Palestinian national cause and prolonged economic strife.

He added that there was not yet any evidence seen by the United States of Iran being behind the latest attack in Israel but he noted the long-standing ties between Iran and Hamas, which governs Gaza.