In Israel, Jewish Shabbat rules are tested by Gaza war

When Israeli forces rescued four hostages held by Hamas in Gaza this month, it dominated the news that Saturday, but Jerusalem resident Eliana Gurfinkiel, an observant Jew, didn't find out until nightfall.

The French-Israeli was following the rules of Shabbat and not using her phone. Hearing the news after everyone else "made no difference", she said.

In Israel, life typically slows down on the weekly day of rest, but since Hamas's October 7 attack and with the ongoing war in Gaza, some Shabbat rules have been turned upside down.

The Shabbat begins Friday at sunset and ends on Saturday at nightfall. During that time, strict adherents to Jewish law avoid work or any actions that require energy, such as turning on lights or driving.

While Gurfinkiel waited, others couldn't, with posts on social media showing some Israelis passing handwritten messages to their practising neighbours to tell them of the rescue.

Not everyone approved, with an ultra-Orthodox website reporting that one man wrote back to his neighbours thanking them but asking them not to repeat what he believed was a sacrilegious act.

According to the health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza the operation killed at least 274 Palestinians and wounded around 700 others.

'Bit of stress'

Gurfinkiel said that ever since the Hamas attack on October 7, "there has been a little bit of stress at the end of every Shabbat when we turn our phones back on".

The unprecedented attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants abducted 251 hostages to Gaza, of whom 116 remain there, including 42 the military says are dead.

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