Numbers to think about

I woke this morning (yesterday) honestly thinking that the ceasefire was due to start at 7 am local, only to find out later that in fact it does not start till 8am Monday morning local time. The dead give away was that my hotel room kept shaking and if anything activity is stepping up in the last few hours before the ceasefire is due to begin.

What is sobering thou is to read how Israeli Newspapers and columns are seeing the war and the basic question of "Did we Win"

These are the numbers from an Israeli Newspaper today, like a football scorecard updated daily to this morning the day before the ceasefire

Number of Israeli Soldiers dead 109
No figures released on the numbers of injured but the number is in excess of 600
Civilians Killed 40 and more than 600 wounded
This alone more than 51 have been injured by Katusah
The number of katusahs fired into Israel since the start of the war has exceeded 4000
More than 1000 of them have landed in Qiryat Schmona where I have been based
The number of Lebanese dead is unknown but 1000 would be a good base figure to start on
Israel has nearly 30,000 troops inside Lebanon
The 3 Israeli soldiers kidnapped (1 Gaza 2 Lebanon) are still being held and are not considered part of the ceasefire agreement
In most operations involving Israeli tanks at least 50% of them are hit by anti tank rockets supplied by Iran

Behind every number is a mother father brother and sister, every family here lives in fear for their sons and daughters, every son and daughter worries for their best friend.

As I type the sound of war continues and another number will be added to the list above.

I look out into the darkness of the night into Lebanon and see only the red flashes of artillery and the sound of gunfire.

Mal
Metula
Northern Israel / Lebanon Border
Eleven hours away from the ceasefire