What do you do on a summer vacation in the middle of a genocidal war?

Well, this is what I did, and I wasn’t alone. I found a place near home, not too far north, because the war with Hezbollah might have broken out just as I was checking in. But even though it was in-between my home in Zichron Yaakov and Haifa, high up in the beautiful Carmel Mountain range, it did occur to me that along with spending time in the lovely pool, we might be sitting in the resort’s air raid shelter as well.

As it was, that didn’t happen. In fact, for a week, I tried and mostly succeeded in avoiding clicking on any of my usual phone apps to check the news, because what would be the point of going away if I was just going to take the turmoil and heartache with me? I needed a break. And I’m sure so did all the other Israelis in the resort who joined me last week.

Mostly I succeeded. I ate healthy food in a gourmet restaurant, breakfast and dinner. And the rest of the time, I did the backstroke, or breast stroke, or crawl in the indoor and outdoor pools. But as much as we all tried, certain things couldn’t be avoided, like the chilling, ear splitting sound of IDF fighter jets just above us heading into Lebanon. You had to see that, all these vacationers in their bathing suits on water mattresses suddenly looking up. Surrealistic.

And on Shabbat, I couldn’t help but notice the lovely religious family seated at the next table: Dad, looking exactly like Bill Gates with a kippah; Mom, who could have been mistaken for one of the teenagers, and the four handsome boys, one of them carrying around his IDF gun everywhere he went. What a year they must have had! Four boys, one in the regular army and his two older brothers no doubt in reserves, and the youngest finishing high school. They had a wonderful rapport with each other, frequently high-fiving, joking, laughing affectionately. I felt so glad they too were able to take a few days off together to reunite in this peaceful spot where the grounds are manicured, the flowers blooming, and the food abundant and delicious. Everyone in Israel needs a few days off to refuel, regroup, and prepare for what is to come.

When I finally opened my phone apps again, it was to the happy news that two despicable terrorists had been targeted with bunker bombs and (hopefully, both of them) blown to smithereens.

What a lovely way to end a week off, with the news that terrorist Ra’afat Salameh, commander of Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade and the right-hand man of terrorist mastermind Mohammed Deif had been targeted. Salameh is dead. This we know for sure. But Deif? Hamas sources says he’s alive and well and laughing his head off. But a Lebanese terrorist newspaper which reported the same mysteriously deleted it. Hmm. Also, Hamas is busy digging up the seventy allegedly killed in the bombing and quickly hiding the bodies before Deif can be identified. Also an optimistic sign.

I have a special interest in seeing Deif dead. He was the organizer of the terrorist kidnapping of IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman, the son of my good friend and neighbor Esther, who is alive and well, as are her other sons. I’m sure the news of Deif’s body blown to bits would bring them, and everyone else in this world who treasures justice and good, great joy.

The penchant for Hamas terrorists to hide among civilians in the midst of protected civilian areas has not gone unnoticed among the Palestinians themselves with the Palestinian Authority (of all people!) lambasting them for this cowardly behavior (which in addition to being disgusting, is against all international law). Hamas was offended. That will not stop them. Which means that we in Israel cannot stop either. In fact, today the IDF had no choice but to blow up an UNRWA school complex which was serving as a weapons depot and Hamas terrorist hideout.

Soldiers in Gaza say that when they first entered Gaza and went looking for weapons or entrances to the tunnels, they searched every room. But experience has taught them that Hamas always hides these things in children’s rooms. Turn over the crib, and you’ll find the rocket launchers, grenades, and machine guns…

I have no doubt that Israel will get much grief world-wide about attacking in these civilian areas. It is all crocodile tears and bogus, fake news. These are the rules of engagement created, propagated and followed by Hamas. If the world has a problem with that, and how Israel is fighting terror, then I suggest they ring the bell of Haniyeh’s five-star hotel room in Qatar, where he, unlike the rest of us, is not on a brief vacation, but a permanent, non-stop resort residency, and discuss it with him.

They say Sinwar is breaking off “hostage negotiations” because of the maybe-dead Deif. Yeah, right. What negotiations? They want the IDF to leave Gaza, and leave them in power. We aren’t going anywhere, and they are done being in control of the land they turned into a terrorist Disneyland. What is there to talk about? Beats me.

As for the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, I saw photos of a bleeding Trump last night on YouTube. But the headlines were: “Trump Falls.” This fake news makes zero sense, and eventually even the major media may have to realize that you can’t fool all the people all of the time.

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