(Day 721) Swords of Iron – “Déjà vu”

Chaim says that it’s Shabbat and he was just in Gaza City, getting wet in the first rain of the year because he didn’t have his rain gear ready, just like happened to him when it rained for the first time in the fall of 2024 and also in the fall of 2023. He says that usually it doesn’t start raining in Israel until after Succot, so he was very happy to see this rain now, because we need rain in this country. Another thing we need is more new immigrants, and they are also coming, even during the war.

So all in all, Chaim is optimistic that something good is going to come of all these things that are going on, and he adds that President Trump is confident that a deal is possible in the very near future.

For his part, Prime Minister Netanyahu made history during his speech at the UN General Assembly by broadcasting his words directly into Gaza via loudspeakers set up for that purpose, and he also urged the countries of the civilized world to help Israel rescue the remaining hostages and otherwise wrap this situation up in a way that will leave things better rather than worse.

Netanyahu also pointed out that the Palestinians people danced in the streets and handed out candy to each other when the news of the October 7th massacre broke, just as many Palestinians celebrated when they heard about the September 11th attacks in 2001. He said that no one in the Palestinian leadership has ever said that they’re hoping for a state where they can live in peace alongside Israel, but rather, they’ve always said that getting a Palestinian State would be just one step in their ultimate plan and goal to completely destroy Israel.

He also said that the Palestinian street is celebrating because they think that murdering Jews pays off, and they believe the Hamas narrative that this wave of recognitions of a Palestinian State by Western countries is a reward for October 7th. This, Netanyahu said, will resonate with jihadist terrorist groups active in Western countries as well, and this will cause many more problems for the governments who have just taken this step.

Chaim concludes by saying he doesn’t want to have “deja vu” about another terrorist massacre here in Israel, and so the IDF must be allowed to finish the job, not capitulate to terror, and he says he’s looking forward to seeing what’s included in President Trump’s peace plan and in this context, he quotes Psalms 5:12; For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.