FARMERS
"I have only one request: to see grandchildren from all my children."
Caution. This column includes descriptions of war and death.
This column was supposed to be dedicated to fighting poverty, hunger, equality, global environmental health, and other SDG matters.
Instead, this column is about war crimes, death, and the destruction of some of the most prosperous rural communities in the world.
Following the horrific events, I received many messages of support from worldwide.
Thank you. I appreciate your firm and humane stand on the side of the citizens of Israel and mine.
Thank you for your unequivocal condemnation of genocide, murder, pure evil, destruction, and other horrible acts committed to the residents of Israel in the last week.
Thank you for your expressed expectation that Israel will do what is necessary so that such acts will never happen again.
Thank you for understanding the need to fight evil wherever it is to allow goodness, compassion, love, and cooperation for the betterment of the world and human happiness to be the values that guide our lives.
While the Israeli nation and I are still in a state of shock, this column is also a statement that, like a forest that grows after being burned, hope will grow out of the ashes of devastation, and we, the people of hope and dreams, we will create a better world.
1917-2023: GAZA RECENT HISTORY
Significant political changes and conflicts have marked the last hundred years of the history of the Gaza Strip.
Here is a brief overview of key developments and rulers during this period:
· 1917-1948: British Mandate: After World War I.
· 1948 - 1967: Egypt administered the territory.
· 1967 - 2005: Israel captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt.
· 2005-2007: Israel unilaterally withdrew. Gaza under the Palestinian Authority (Fatah).
· 2007-Present: Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in a violent conflict with Fatah.
Note that never in its history was the Gaza Strip a sovereign self-controlled state until 2005, when Israel passed it to the Palestinian authority.
A second thing to note is that Gaza has a long border with Egypt. However, fearing Hamas Islamic fundamentalists, the Egyptians closed the border with minimal movement of people and goods.
Israel reaches out for help in employment, industry, agriculture, trade, and humanitarian aid.
From 1967, and more so from 2005, after the Israelis withdrew, Israel reached out to help the people of Gaza in employment, industry, agriculture, trade, and humanitarian aid.
I remember how, in 2005, the Israeli public had high hopes to see the Gaza Strip leadership channeling their energy for self-development; we hoped to see them the Singapore of the Mediterranean area.
For instance, on the border between Israel and Gaza, Israel invested in an industrial zone, Erez, where people from Gaza could work at Israeli factories. At that time, Biofeed, which I manage, worked with one of the factories in this zone. I was glad to provide work to the people of Gaza.
Unfortunately, the industrial zone closed after repeated terror attacks on it.
The humanitarian aid included water, electricity, fuel, goods, and food supply, in addition to hospitalizing critical cases, including the leadership of Hamas and their families in Israeli hospitals.
Hamas used these supplies to build a military infrastructure while visiting hospitals to collect intelligence on Israeli hospitals, which was used to launch terror attacks on those facilities later.
I view agriculture as a bridge between people and nations. I can't imagine trying to hurt other farmers. Unfortunately, agriculture, too, was used by Hamas to spread terror.
Every summer, Hamas would release hundreds of incendiary balloons aimed at crossing the border fence and setting fire to the nearby fields.
The Israeli farmers showed courage and perseverance and continued cultivating their land, never giving up; year after year, they sowed their fields, fought the fires, and hoped for better days when cooperation would replace hate and destruction.
It is sad when you understand that your wishes for your neighbor to have a better life are repeatedly answered with death wishes and acts of terrorism.
A GENOCIDE: CHRONOLOGY &FACTS
Let us start with the heartbreaking facts.
On Saturday morning (the resting day in Israel, when people stay home), especially on October 7, which was a holiday, at 06:60, the Hamas terror organization began shelling Israel with missiles, to be more exact, 3,000 missiles directed at Israel’s cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Missiles were directed to civilian most populated centers in the hope of causing the maximum possible damage in life.
Simultaneously, hundreds, maybe thousands of well-equipped Hamas armed militants (terrorists), including with anti-tank missiles. They crossed the border with cars, motorbikes, and by foot into Israel.
Minutes later, the massacre began as they began shooting at the 4,000 young people who came to an overnight music peace festival near the border.
At least 270 celebrants were murdered on the spot, and many others were kidnapped and brought to the Gaze Strip.
Meanwhile, other Hamas terrorists crossed green fields separating the short distance from the Gaza Strip to the Israeli Kibbutz and Moshav communities.
Most people were still in bad at that early hour as they quickly entered 24 civilians' rural agro-communities and three urban communities.
** Warning: the next part contains graphical descriptions of brutalities. To avoid the description, skip it. **
They didn’t waste time and immediately began butchering and slaughtering every human and animal they saw.
They shot families still in bad, decapitated babies' heads, opened the bellies of pregnant mothers until the fetus was exposed, burned babies and families alive at their homes, raped and then murdered, and mutilated bodies.
The terrorists didn’t discriminate; they killed everybody – men and women (Israelis and non-Israelis), babies, toddlers, children, pregnant women, 80 and 90 years old (some of whom were Holocaust survivors), disabled, non-Israeli workers. Merciless, they brought death equally to all.
Moving fast from one house to the other, they have burned houses, factories, and public buildings… everything that came their way.
They then kidnapped over two hundred and took them to the Gaza Strip.
Once again, without discrimination, they kidnapped anyone they didn’t murder, from 4-month-old babies to 85-year-old ladies and non-Israelis (see title picture), treating them all as animals.
At the same time, ten military camps were attacked with many casualties on the IDF (Israel Defense Force) side.
Summary of the atrocities of the Hamas terror attack on Saturday (non-final numbers till today) –
· Rockets shot at Israel – 7,000
· Attack drones – unknown number
· # Terrorists in the assaulting force – thousands
· Supporting countries before and during the attack – Lebanon, Iran
· Murdered – over 1,300
· Wounded – over 3,000, over 500 in a critical situation
· Kidnapped – hundreds, including babies and toddlers
· 24 rural communities burned, and many of their members were murdered
· 3 cities attacked
Since the Holocaust, there were never been so many Israelis killed and murdered as on October 7.
Israel can’t have the Hamas Nazi regime, a proxy of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards forces to continue rolling the Gaza strip.
PERSONAL
When somebody wants to kill you only because of who you are, a Jew and an Israeli, we rise and fight.
On May 1944, as part of their global genocide campaign against Jews, the Nazis took my family from their peaceful village community, then in Hungary, now in Ukraine, and sent them to Auschwitz's death camp where they were exterminated by gas and then burned to ash.
On October 7, 2023, as part of their ongoing global genocide campaign against Jews and Israelis, the Hamas murdered hundreds at their peaceful homes and communities, decapitating and burning many victims, including babies.
The fanatics of Hamas want to die in the war, be a Shahid, a martyr. We, Israelis, love life and want to stay alive and return alive from war.
What is stronger, the love of life or that of death?
And another question that has to do with equality is, can women warriors win against merciless Hamas terrorists?
Here is the answer -
* Love of life: In the attack on southern Israel, the number of Hamas fighters outnumbered the number of IDF fighters facing them in every battle. Nevertheless, wherever the IDF fighters had sufficient weapons and ammunition, the battle was decided when the Hamas fighters died, fled, or were captured.
* Equality: Though in the IDF, there are women fighters in most field units, until recently, no women were serving in the armored corps. Two years ago, there was a decision to establish the first tank unit with women only. Guess what? This unit was one of the closest to the combat zone and was called to join the war.
They arrived at the battle area, helped stop the terrorists, and, like in the movies, stamped, shot, and destroyed dozens of terrorists.
I am proud of these women for showing courage, saving many lives of innocent civilians, and displaying to the world that women can be wherever they choose, even in the riskiest and most challenging roles, getting the job done.
There was one other aspect of those women's professional behavior. My eldest son, Neta, was one of the officers who helped establish this company and train the staff.
FEARS
An event like the terrorist attack of October 7 is traumatic for the country but also on an individual level.
Since Saturday, my children and all the citizens of Israel feel much less safe.
Before the attack, we never locked the door to the house; now, the door is locked all the time.
Like every house in Israel, we also have a protected room with a steel door in case of a missile attack. Many of those murdered were gunshot when they hid in the security room, which the terrorists entered. This week, we installed an option for internal locking in the security room in our homes.
I now have two sons in the army, in combat units. I trust them, but I also worry, especially for a young man who has too much courage and too little fear. I am looking forward to the moment when the war will pass, and we will meet again for Friday dinner, as it was before the war broke out.
A SOLDIER AT THE FRONT
My eldest son, Neta, knows the history of our family well. He knows that only Israelis will protect Israelis; no one will do it for us. He is a tank unit officer, getting his unit ready for war.
This is what Neta shared on Instagram. I share it with you since it also represents my views and thoughts.
“
To my dear friends from all around the world,
In the past few days, I have been contacted by friends from all corners of the globe, stretching from Italy and Greece to India and Vietnam. The overwhelming amount of solidarity from you guys has been truly heartwarming. I wanted to provide you with an update regarding our well-being. On a personal level, my family and I are doing well. However, on a national scale, these are the most challenging times any of us have ever faced.
As most of you are aware, this year was supposed to mark the beginning of my studies, which, in fact, were about to start this upcoming Sunday. Instead, my brother and I, as well as many other relatives and friends, have been mobilized and have spent the last few days preparing for a full-scale conflict against the Palestinian version of ISIS - Hamas. Many details remain uncertain, including the precise time the fighting on the ground will begin and the potential for a second front against the Lebanese terrorist organization, Hezbollah. However, one thing is certain: our goal is to ensure that the horrifying scenes witnessed in the kibbutzim around Gaza - of men and women, elderly and children being butchered, burned alive, beheaded, raped, and kidnapped, will never be seen again.
You all know me as a calm and peace-loving person, and this will undoubtedly be a lengthy and demanding war with numerous challenges yet to come. Nevertheless, I want to assure you that my brothers in arms and I are highly capable of this mission and will do whatever it takes to restore safety to our families and the entire people of Israel.
Your immense support in these hard times is incredibly meaningful to me, and you all hold a special place in my heart. Please stay safe, and may we all look forward to better and more peaceful days ahead.
“
HOPE WILL RISE FROM THE ASHES
Hope always wins hatred and evil.
We will win.
When the war is over, after we bury our dead, we and people like us will be at the forefront of combating poverty, hunger, global warming, and other global challenges.
Though at times it may look different, our world does get better.
The way to chase away darkness is by lighting a candle.
I dedicate the following paragraph to Dr. Shoshan Haran, the founder of Fair Planet, an NGO working with refugees and poor farmers in Africa. Dr. Haran was kidnapped on Saturday into the Gaza Strip with ten family members.
Light a candle:
Make peace where others fight,
Gather where others separate,
Love where others spread hate,
Build communities where others separate,
Organize where others encourage chaos,
Show mercy where others are merciless,
Celebrate diversity where others demand uniformity,
Demand pluralism, where others aim for totalitarianism,
Promote prosperity where others encourage poverty,
Increase knowledge where others see ignorance as a goal,
Build where others destroy,
Plant where others uprooting,
Sow where others burn,
Live where others kill,
Cooperate where others keep apart,
Dream where others create nightmares,
Grow hope where others grow despair.
For more videos on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the October 7, 2023 genocide, use this playlist: The 7.10,23 Genocide of the Israelis by Hamas
To light a candle and to create your positive legacy, contact me to impact the agro sector in a developing economy. nisraely@biofeed.co.il WhatsApp +972-542523425
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See you soon,
Nimrod
Dr. Nimrod Israely is the CEO and Founder of Dream Valley and Biofeed companies and the Chairman and Co-founder of the IBMA conference. +972-54-2523425 (WhatsApp), or email nisraely@biofeed.co.il
P.S.
If you missed it, here is a link to last week's blog, “What If Technological Innovations Are Not The Initiator of Economic Prosperity?”.
P.P.S.
Dream Valley is a field-proven disruptive business model based on the successful Israeli model.
To learn more and become a Dream Valley partner, contact me at nisraely@biofeed.co.il, +972-542523425 (WhatsApp/Text)
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Change Begins With A Decision
That The Existing Reality Is A Choice
and Not A Decree of Fate