As night fell ushering in the Ninth of Av, Israelis could be found in every town and village, and in every army outpost, sitting on the ground reading the Book of Lamentations. Written by the prophet Jeremiah around 586 BCE, it describes the terrible suffering of our people when our Temple was destroyed, but also the enduring hope for redemption and forgiveness; for rebuilding and victory over our cruel enemies.

This year, more than any other year I can remember, it speaks with startling relevance to our current heartbreak over the recent events that have broken our hearts.

“Her little children walked away captives… I am groaning and there is none to console me. My enemies heard of my suffering – they rejoice. …Peace has deserted me for I have forgotten what good is… They raped women in Zion, virgin girls in the towns of Judah… No regard was shown to elders. But you Lord, are enthroned forever; your rule endures for all generations. Why would You forever forget us, desert for days without end? Bring us back to you Lord, and we will come. Renew our days to be as they once were.”

We are a country at war, and yet we have taken time out to reconnect with our history, and pray for our present and our future. Photos of everyone from the President, to the Minister of Defense, to our soldiers on the front lines inside Gaza are shown reading these words. There is really no nation like the nation of Israel.

I would not say we are fearful, but we are prepared for whatever is to come our way.

Political disagreements over the right way forward between Gallant and Netanyahu, leaked from private high-level meetings, are devastating, and give fuel to the enemy who is only too delighted to point out we are wavering in achieving our goals. But from what I can see, there is no real difference between them. Both of them are determined to destroy Hamas and bring home our hostages.

Despite endless promises from the White House, Qatar, and Egypt over the willingness of Hamas to negotiate a ceasefire, the Thursday summit planned in Qatar or Egypt has been given a setback by Hamas’s sudden announcement that they refuse to send any representative. We are dealing with ugly, stupid, cruel murderers who delight in this kind of psychological torture.

Moreover, any such deal is going to include the release of terrorists from our jails. Just this evening, Tarak Daoud, a Hamas terrorist released during the first hostage deal, opened fire on an Israeli and two Palestinians in Qalqilya before being shot dead. The Israeli is in critical condition. Releasing Hamas prisoners to free hostages is risking the lives of Israelis down the road. It is a moral dilemma.

Hamas is busy selling its story that “there were no armed men at the al-Taba’een school,” and that Israel killed “100 civilians, mostly children” in its attack. In the meantime, Israel has so far positively identified 31 Hamas terrorists killed at the school, which was being used as a command and control center. In addition, posts from the sister, uncle and brother in -law of terrorist Yousef Shoidh confirm that he was killed at the school and was a colonel in the Iz ad-Din al Qassam Brigade. Hamas can’t figure out a way to prove its “100” number, so now its backtracking without saying the obvious (we are liars) instead talking about numbers over “48 hours” which it never does. Still, the numbers, don’t add up. They are liars.

In the meantime, all our Olympic athletes have returned home to a big hug from the public. They have brought us the greatest success at the Olympic games in Israeli history: 7 medals! We are very proud of them! Windsurfer and gold medalist Tom Reuveni who said: “I didn’t do it just for myself. There are so many soldiers that fought for us and I want to send a warm hug to the families of the fallen who made it possible for us to be part of the Olympics for our country.”

The terror victim killed yesterday in the drive-by shooting in the Jordan Valley was Yonatan Deutsch, 23, from Beit Shean who was released from the army after ten months in Gaza and planned to marry in two months. He was on his way to his fiancée when he was murdered. At his funeral today, his grandfather Chaim shouted: “God of the Universe! Take this child off the stretcher and take me instead!” I understand exactly how he feels. Our hearts bleed for our brave children.

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