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My neighbor, Pnina, is beside herself with worry and fear because her 20-year-old son is serving in Gaza. With a heavy heart, there is nothing I can do except hold Pnina's hand and say a silent prayer for all the mothers whose sons are risking their lives for the state of Israel in this extremely dangerous mission at the front line.

Sadly, the harsh ramifications of hand-to-hand combat are almost too much to bear so we try to channel our energies into productive activities. This week, our town held a community drive to collect supplies like disposable heating pads, warm socks, and individual snack packages for the soldiers on the front line. In the coming days, we will package what we've collected and they will be delivered to the soldiers in Gaza. It is but a small gesture to let our soldiers know that we are 100-percent behind them with these care packages that my husband, Ilan, says are deeply ingrained in Israel's wartime culture.

There are those who say that Israel started this war, pointing an accusing finger at the Palestinian civilian casualties who tragically got in the way. But what about the Israeli civilians in Sderot who have been pounded by rockets for the last eight years? Young children there have lived their entire lives with the ominous "Red Alert" siren, which allows them a mere 15 seconds to take cover.

And now, rockets have been relentlessly slamming into Ashkelon, Ashdod, Be'ersheva, and the numerous small settlements and kibbutzim (communal settlements) in the Western Negev, putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk. This is the price we must pay for Israel's decision to finally eradicate Hamas terrorists, their rocket launch sites and their deadly explosives. I have been wondering why Israel didn't act sooner. Perhaps there was not enough pressure put on the government by citizens like me. Or maybe there was too much pressure on Israel from foreign governments to show restraint.

Whatever the reason, I implore you to consider how long the U.S. would stand idly by if deadly rockets were fired randomly from Canada or Mexico over her borders into densely populated centers. One hour? A whole day? I'd say we've waited long enough to recapture our personal security, a basic right of every human being. Of course, the price is heavy for both the innocent Israelis whose lives have been turned upside down as well as the foot soldiers now taking on Hamas at close range in Gaza. Many of us who are out of harm's way -- at least for the time being -- ache to do more than just watch the news, sympathize and pray. So we have volunteered to host families and schoolchildren from the cities and towns under attack. While I originally thought I might end up with a dozen people sleeping on my living room floor, I now understand that I will have to fight for the privilege. There are many more families looking to host than those seeking refuge.

We were, however, able to convince Yarden's friend Shelly, who lives in Ashkelon, to come to stay with us for a while. Ilan and I have invited -- even implored -- her parents to come with the rest of the family as well. But for the time being, they prefer to remain in Ashkelon, fully supporting Shelly's decision to stay with us. The most difficult part of having her here is watching her anxiously phone home every time the news reports an attack on her hometown. And there are many. The bottom line is that there really isn't much we can do except support the IDF in its important work. That is the only way to eradicate the threat of rockets launched on our cities. So Shelly, and others like her, can feel safe and secure at home. I, for one, don't think that's too much to ask for.

Gayle Danis Rinot is an independent journalist, copywriter, and editor, who has been living in Israel since 1987. Married to Ilan and the mother of three daughters, Gayle makes her home in a suburb of Netanya.