The government approved on Sunday the official change of the name of the war that began on October 7, 2023, from the 'Swords of Iron War' to the 'War of Revival'. The decision, which was discussed at a government meeting and presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, carries both a symbolic and practical aspect: the government estimates the cost of corrections in government communications, documents, and record-keeping systems at about two million shekels, according to data presented to the ministers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the discussion and said the following: 'Today I bring to the government's approval the proposal to give the war an official fixed name: 'The War of Revival.' At the end of two years of continuous fighting, we remember how we began. We arose from the terrible catastrophe of October 7. We arose with momentum, and we exacted a decisive war upon our enemies. We removed the existential threat posed by the Iranian axis surrounding us."
"We have established the national redemption project in the Land of Israel, in our strong and flourishing state. During Operation Rising Lion against Iran, I emphasized the lofty destiny that is rooted in our heritage: 'The nation rises like a lion.' This is the case with the entire campaign: This is the war of the revival of our people, as a direct continuation of the War of Independence. We are also about to distribute medals of valor and commendations to our heroic soldiers and commanders. As was the case in previous military campaigns, the decorations of the current campaign will bear the official name of the War of Revival."
Minister of Settlement and National Missions, Orit Strook, expressed open opposition to the decision and argued that it was appropriate to wait with finalizing the name until the outcomes of the campaign become clear. She stated explicitly: "At this stage, when the results of the war are not clear, the name should not be changed. First, we will know whether we have achieved its objectives and truly removed the threat from Gaza to Israel, or if we have merely replaced one threat with another. Then we will decide what the name will be."
Minutes before the meeting in which the proposal was passed, Hamas militants fired at an IDF engineering vehicle in Rafah – a shot that marked the collapse of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The IDF responded with targeted airstrikes, and in Jerusalem, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz were summoned for an emergency discussion with the heads of the defense establishment. Against this backdrop, as planes were in the air and the south was once again burning, the government chose to approve the new name for the war – the 'War of Revival.'
Bereaved families and parents of hostages attacked the decision, claiming that changing the name of the war is a political move. In a post he wrote on X, Yizhar Shai, former Minister of Science and Technology whose son, Sergeant Yaron Shai, was killed on October 7, stated: 'The Government of Failure and Disaster wants to write election propaganda on the tombstones of two thousand victims of the cursed war that happened during its watch. As we have already informed representatives of the Ministry of Defense in the past: do not even think that you will be allowed to touch the sacred grave of our heroic son. You will not be allowed to approach his grave; no election slogan or arrogant propaganda of a malevolent government will be written on his tombstone. A government whose ministers did not even bother to mark the anniversary of October 7, the day of Yaron’s fall."
Yonatan Shamriz, founder of the "Kumu" (Awaken) movement, a national grassroots initiative established in partnership with families affected by the October 7 attacks, whose brother Alon was kidnapped on October 7 and accidentally killed by IDF fire in Gaza, also criticized the move: "No one will be able to obscure or erase what we went through. While the bodies of hostages are still being returned in coffins on a daily basis, the government is busy rewriting history and covering up the failure that occurred under its watch, a criminal conduct that goes hand in hand with the decision to establish a fake inquiry committee for the disaster. It will not help them – the war will be called the "October 7 War," as an eternal reminder of their failure. Hundreds of families will not allow anyone to approach the graves of their loved ones and reframe the terrible failure as vengeance at their expense."