SAN DIEGO — As the Israel-Hamas war sends shockwaves around the world, many are feeling it right here in San Diego. CBS 8 spoke with people who feel passionate on both sides.
“There’s just no words to describe the feeling, never felt anything like this before,” said Matthew Johnson, a former Commander in the 202nd Paratrooper Battalion for the Israeli Defense Forces. “My initial reaction is shock and almost denial because it’s very hard to believe that something to this magnitude is currently happening.”
Johnson, who served in the IDF from 2013 – 2016, is also president of the Cohen Security Foundation, a nonprofit serving IDF veterans living in the U.S.
“The hardest part is being here in San Diego or outside of Israel, in general, and almost feeling helpless because you want to be on the front lines, you want to support.”
Johnson says everyone he knows in Israel, both civilians and members of the defense intelligence community, were all caught by surprise when the recent attacks by Hamas initially ensued Saturday.
“To know that there are entire families, grandmothers, mothers, little children, 9-month-old babies who have been taken from Israel into the Gaza Strip to be used as hostages, to be used as bait, and to think that my kid can sleep peacefully when theirs can’t, it’s a feeling that just can’t be described.”
A rally in support of Palestinians was held at Balboa Park on Sunday.
“This is a sliver of what Palestinians have been going through for the past 75 years,” said Sabrina Damanhoury, who helped organize the rally.
“Gaza has been under occupation and has been an open-air prison for the past 16 years, so it’s not unexpected to see some sort of reaction and resistance from the people, they’ve been in cages for 16 years,” said Damanhoury.
Johnson attended the rally and felt a mix of emotions when hearing their message.
“It’s a combination of disappointment and sadness. They just call for more blood, they’re never calling for peace,” said Johnson. “I think everybody can agree upon, regardless of where you stand, no one wants to see children hurt, nobody wants to see babies taken hostage, nobody wants to see grandmothers, mothers, any innocent civilians involved in any conflict.”
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