One of my first thoughts when I heard about the occurrences of Oct 7 was the same as yours--that this could be a Pearl Harbor event. It wouldn't be hard to make a case for that. I've given a lot of thought to this. Here are a few thoughts to the contrary. They aren't proof, but are perhaps worthy of consideration. -We shouldn't assume that it was a Pearl Harbor event. Other explanations may be possible. -Israel is the only country that requires an Iron Dome and bomb shelter in every home to protect its citizens from missile attacks all year round. We seem to take this for granted, almost as if this makes this fact of life for them okay. Not saying that we would say it's okay, just that we may subconsciously not give it much thought. -There was a report early on that troops had been diverted to the West Bank because of an alleged heightened security that there. -Is it possible that someone wishing to do Israel harm has managed to infiltrate the government in such a way that they were able to mislead the decision makers? Twenty percent of the population is Arab/Muslim and they hold,I believe, about 20% of positions in government, the courts, etc. Most are probably loyal, but it doesn't take many to deal a blow off they are in the right position(s). -I don't know if you believe that prophecy is for today.I do and I follow the modern prophetic community. Many have a track record of fulfilled prophecy. The rate of fulfillment is increasing as time goes on. It has been prophesied that this was the work of a traitor and also that corruption in Israel's govt will be exposed and dealt with and that it will reveal ties of corruption to our own govt which will then be dealt with together with DJT. Time will tell. -Gaza could have a thriving, independent economy. It doesn't despite the many billions of dollars poured into it by the rest of the world. They have used those funds to build a highly sophisticated tunnel system, rocket launch sites on hospitals, schools, near amusement parks and other civilian locations, munitions factories underground, and more. Arms and munitions abound anywhere in homes, hospitals, etc. They can literally move from one place to another and pick up arms anywhere they go. The tunnels extend underneath the border into Israel and they have used them to attack Israelis. -They have been equipping and training for an event like this for years. One of their leaders has said that Allah is with them in this and that they will do this 'up to a million times" if necessary. Whatever Israel's faults, is important to think about what it would be like to live next door to an event like that that is funded by the entire world through the UN, Iran, and even the current administration. Israelis are not worse human beings than Americans. They're normal people just like us. If you were there, would you be conscientiously objecting or would you be signing up to fight if you could? -Children are trained from youth, including in the schools that Jews are evil, not human, and worthy of death. Summer camp for them consists of military training with actual weapons. I've watched interviews with 8-10yo boys in full military garb and armed doing the army crawl through the streets who said they would absolutely stab a Jew, drive a vehicle and ram it into them. They would die for this cause. -The atrocities, attested to with video footage and the eye witness testimony are as bad as if not worse than anything I've ever read about from the Holocaust and I've read and listened to a lot of WWII testimony. If it wasn't October 7th, it was their intention to do this and much worse to Israel at the first opportunity. -There is so much more that I could say. My personal experience as someone who grew up between the American and European cultures of my parents is that you cannot blindly trust what a radical Muslim tells you. Some deeply cultural Muslims can be deceptive and manipulative.i work very hard not to judge an individual, but I have seen this enough to be mindful.

• I believe Israel has worked to mitigate innocent civilian casualties where Hamas has worked hard to cause them. One of their leaders called on the women and children to die b/c "we need your blood."