Armed to survive: Like October. 7 Hamas massacre transformed gun culture in Israel

In the delivery room of a Jerusalem hospital, as the contractions intensified and the midwife tried to help the woman in labor adopt a more comfortable position, the mother felt something strange.

“He told me that something hurt him,” recalls Erga Froman, the midwife. “Then I realized it was my gun, which was holstered on a rotating belt and had moved forward, touching it.” After the baby was born, Froman’s colleagues at the hospital took a photo of her standing next to the newborn, still holding the gun. “It’s a picture of contrasts,” he said.

Before October 7, Froman, a mother of five who now lives in the Golan Heights in northern Israel, had never considered obtaining a gun license. Having chosen to perform non-military national service instead of military service in the IDF, he had never fired a gun in his life. The change came quickly after The unprecedented terrorist attack by Hamas against Israeli communities on October 7, leaving more than 1,200 dead and shattering a sense of security that many Israelis had long relied on.

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A civil emergency team practices shooting in the town of Kiryat Shmona, which is within range of rocket attacks fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon, on March 4, 2024. (Erez Ben Simón/TPS-IL)

“On the night of October 7, my husband and I realized that because I travel alone at night on dangerous roads to work, bringing life to the world, I needed protection,” Froman told Fox News Digital. “The next morning, I had submitted my application for a gun license. Now I hope to never have to use it, but I am prepared if necessary.”

For decades, firearms ownership in Israel was rare. Although military service ensured that many Israelis received weapons training, personal firearms were considered more of a liability than a necessity. The strict licensing process deterred many, and Israelis relied on the state and its defense forces to protect them from terrorist threats, which took priority over Israel’s low crime rates.

Midwife Erga Froman decided to obtain a weapons license following the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7.

But after the Hamas massacre of October 7, many Israelis began to see personal firearms as a necessary safeguard in a new and most dangerous reality. “Because there wasn’t enough medical equipment on Oct. 7, there wasn’t enough defense,” Froman said. “Learning from that, today we have a community medical team, and we are also armed to be able to provide a first response.”

Erga Froman, a midwife from northern Israel, and her husband decided to obtain gun licenses after the October 7 terrorist attacks.

Israel’s Supreme Court is currently reviewing petitions against nationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, alleging that his office issued firearms licenses without proper authorization.

In the months following the October 7 attack, more than 260,000 new gun license applications were submitted, nearly matching the total number for the previous two decades combined. More than 100,000 licenses have already been approved, which is a ten-fold increase over the previous year.

A woman shoots at a shooting range in the Jordan Valley, Israel, on April 10, 2024. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL)

Ayala Mirkin, a mother from Shiloh in the West Bank, better known as the West Bank, applied for a firearms license after her husband, an IDF reserve soldier, was sent to fight in the war in Gaza, leaving her alone with his three small children. “I felt unsafe driving through Arab villages and I knew I had to do something to protect myself,” she said. “The process was much faster than it would have been before October 7, but it still took months due to the flood of applications.”

Mirkin now carries his pistol whenever he leaves his settlement, although he remains conflicted. “I don’t want to have a gun. The day I can give it back will be the happiest day of my life. But I have no choice. It’s a tool to survive.”

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For families like Mirkin’s, firearms have become a part of everyday life. He keeps his gun locked in a safe and has trained his children never to touch it. “It is a tool of protection, not of killing,” he emphasizes. “My focus is on preserving life, not taking it.”

Oren Gozlan, a veteran skydiver and father, is among those who hesitated before applying for a license. living in the Israeli side from the Green Line border near the Palestinian town of Tulkarem, Gozlan decided he could no longer avoid arming himself. “The fear of having a gun at home with the children still exists, but the need to protect my family outweighs it,” he says. “October 7th changed everything. It made us realize that we are vulnerable in ways we never imagined.”

Gozlan is baffled by what he sees as inadequate oversight in the licensing process. “At the shooting range I saw people who had never held a gun in their lives and barely hit their target. It’s terrifying to think that these people are now walking around with guns.”

Saar Zohar, a reservist in an elite unit, expressed a similar change. For years, Zohar resisted owning a gun, believing it was unnecessary after his service. But a series of terrorist attacks after October 7 forced him to reconsider his decision. “I couldn’t bear the thought of being helpless if something happened,” he says. “Knowing that I have the training and can respond, I feel like it’s my responsibility.”

After the October 7 massacre, Saar Zohar, a reservist in an elite IDF unit, decided to obtain a weapons license. (Fox News)

Unlike the United States, where gun ownership Although often linked to fear of crime or the defense of private property, in Israel firearms are considered tools to fight terrorism. Israel has historically avoided the public mass shootings that have sometimes occurred hit the USA, But experts warn that the rapid proliferation of firearms could change this situation. With so many untrained people carrying weapons, the fear of impulsive actions and tragic mistakes looms large.

Zohar is tormented by the possibility of misidentification. “The idea that another armed civilian could mistake me for an attacker terrifies me,” he says, referring to a tragic incident in November 2023, when a young soldier mistakenly killed an Israeli civilian who had shot at terrorists in Jerusalem.

The psychological cost of this change is evident among the newly armed. Eyal Haskel, a father of three from Tel Aviv, describes the social pressures he faced after 7 October. “I never wanted to carry a gun, but my friends asked me why I wasn’t armed. It felt like an expectation, almost a duty.”

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Israelis train at a shooting range, February 12, 2023. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images)

But Haskel is also concerned about what he’s seen at the shooting ranges. “People treat it like a game, shooting without understanding the responsibility. It’s horrible to think these people are now licensed.”

For many Israelis, reform represents a necessary response to an existential threat. However, it has also exposed deep flaws in the system. Critics argue that the current approach sacrifices long-term safety for short-term safety, warning of potential unintended consequences, from accidental shootings to a rise in domestic violence.

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“Getting a gun license is easier than getting a driver’s license,” Gozlan says. “For a car, you need lessons, tests and strict rules. For a gun, it’s just some paperwork and a few hours at the range.”

Froman sees things differently. “If someone threatens you, you only take out your gun in a national security situation. You don’t take out a gun in situations that endanger your personal life unless it’s a terrorist case. The rules here are clear: you must have a safe for your gun. I can’t trust my husband’s safe; a gun is personal. I can’t use his gun and he can’t use mine. The gun is to defend himself from those who want to. “to harm us, not for self-defense.”

An Israeli soldier patrols near Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel on October 12, 2023, near the site where 270 revelers were killed by terrorists during the Supernova music festival on October 7. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)

Mirkin agrees. “We are not like the United States,” he said. “We don’t want guns to be our hobbies… for us, it’s survival, not choice.”

One interviewee who asked to remain anonymous described how he trained his wife in basic firearms handling, even though she does not have a license. “I never wanted to put her in this situation, but if I’m not home during an attack, she needs to know how to defend our children.”

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As Israel adapts to this new reality, the social implications of increased firearm ownership remain uncertain. For many, the weight of these decisions highlights the delicate balance between protection and responsibility.

“I hope I never have to use it,” says Gozlan. “But I can’t ignore the reality we live in. October 7th changed everything.”