OCTOBER 7th- FOUR MONTHS AFTER

To see the results of the October 7th attack, Susi & I came to Israel to meet with people we know and see for ourself. I am not sure that my writing skills are good enough to convey what is happening here, but the contrast between what the Hamas attackers have done and what we’ve seen on US media is completely “bent".

We met with Ambassador Mark Regev, (see photo) who represents the government of Israel to the media. I’m sure you’ve seen him on different TV stations in the US. He made it very clear to us how difficult it is dealing with the main stream media because they are so one-sided. Plus, the Al Jazeera, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, etc.  correspondents “reporting from Gaza” are all people who live in Gaza, who if they don’t promote the Hamas line,”could suffer seriously. So when they are asked “are there tunnels under hospitals, (Answer: NO) are there dead babies by the hundreds (Answer: YES), and so on. The “man in the street”, in Gaza, hospital doctors, ambulance drivers, nurses, when interviewed, all promote the Hamas line and they are believable to the average US TV viewer. Israel has to wait for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) to attack and control these same spaces and take photos of what truthfully exists to show the world. The time in-between does not help Israel’s public relations position and Hamas knows this! Israel has not yet worked out how to counter the BS on Tik Tok that young people get their “news’ from!!!!

We then went to the town of Sderot. This agricultural town is 1.2 miles from the Gaza border (see photo with steel protectors from snipers and Gaza in the background) and uniquely, holds the title of the “most bombarded by rockets town in the world". For the last 23 years, when residents hear the sirens announcing incoming rockets, they have 15 seconds to get to a shelter!! The Iron Dome system of intercepting rockets has not only protected them, but also has enabled Sderot property values to rise in recent years! A picture of a shelter shows what can protect a resident from a rocket but cannot save them from armed terrorists breaking in and killing them. Sderot was attacked by terrorists on gliders, motorbikes, and pickup trucks. The IDF, made up from local reservists in a tank unit, came back and attacked them. A warehouse had to be recaptured and you can see where the tanks shot and opened holes in the building.

The terrorists attacked the Sderot police headquarters killing 13 police and burned the building. They came with a plan for their attack, complete with maps and building site plans. Their preparation was incredible. Once the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) recaptured the town, IDF bulldozers came in and demolished what was left. That site will be a memorial. After they were attacked on October 7th, the Sderot residents cleared out and the town is now eerily quiet. The general feeling of Israeli’s is that while Israel was the place where Jews could finally be safe, that is no longer true. Now, it’s time, if possible, to clear out the neighborhood threat.

Our final stop for the day was at a tank repair unit. The contrast here was very strange. At the site, were group of Hasidic religious followers of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov who believe that living life with joy and happiness is the only way. These guys really knew how to party. With loud music and an energy level that was contagious, many in our group started dancing. The photos tell the story.

And then, the other side of the story. Here were these 18-20 year old soldiers repairing tanks and armored personnel carriers that they had brought back from Gaza the day before. They were very happy to be able to walk around and not worry about snipers. The pictures tell the story.