Some preliminary thoughts.
1. Netanyahu promised that we would win. This is of course a false promise. If one drop of Jewish blood is spilled we already lost. The only way to win a war is to not fight one.
2. What he DIDN'T say [at least I didn't hear him say and it is not his custom] is "we totally goofed. Boy, did we mess up. Where was our intelligence? How come we had no idea this was coming?" His shittah is "כחי ועוצם ידי" and לשיטתו he failed big time.
3. "Where WAS Israeli intelligence?" everybody is asking. Dovid Hamelech answered thousands of years ago: "אם ה' לא ישמור עיר שוא שקד שומר". If we lose our Hashgacha, we are רח"ל toast. Hashem removed his Hashgacha before Simchas Torah for reasons beyond us.
4. The Arabs are waging a religious war. Their bloodthirsty god wants them to slaughter as many "infidels" as possible. [On the video/s they are screaming "Allah Akhbar"]. The more we fight back for the sake of ייחוד השם [see Rambam Hilchos Melachim 7-15], the more successful we will be.
5. This is actually for the best. Believers KNOW that כל מה דעביד רחמנא לטב עביד. Hashem loves us and like everything else that happens is all part of the Divine plan that will ultimately lead to AMAZING things.
6. What ON EARTH are the Arabs doing in Azza ["Gaza"] with complete governance? Oh - in 2005 the Israeli government KINDLY handed it to them. Mussar Haskel: Acts have consequences, sometimes very long term but איזהו חכם הרואה את הנולד.
7. The Rambam teaches us
וְדָבָר זֶה מִדַּרְכֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה הוּא. שֶׁבִּזְמַן שֶׁתָּבוֹא צָרָה וְיִזְעֲקוּ עָלֶיהָ וְיָרִיעוּ יֵדְעוּ הַכּל שֶׁבִּגְלַל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם הָרָעִים הוּרַע לָהֶן כַּכָּתוּב (ירמיה ה כה) "עֲוֹנוֹתֵיכֶם הִטּוּ" וְגוֹ'. וְזֶה הוּא שֶׁיִּגְרֹם לָהֶם לְהָסִיר הַצָּרָה מֵעֲלֵיהֶם:
This practice is one of the paths of repentance, for when a difficulty arises, and the people cry out [to God] and sound the trumpets, everyone will realize that [the difficulty] occurred because of their evil conduct, as [Jeremiah 5:25] states: "Your sins have turned away [the rains and the harvest climate]." This [realization] will cause the removal of this difficulty.
אֲבָל אִם לֹא יִזְעֲקוּ וְלֹא יָרִיעוּ אֶלָּא יֹאמְרוּ דָּבָר זֶה מִמִּנְהַג הָעוֹלָם אֵרַע לָנוּ וְצָרָה זוֹ נִקְרָה נִקְרֵית. הֲרֵי זוֹ דֶּרֶךְ אַכְזָרִיּוּת וְגוֹרֶמֶת לָהֶם לְהִדַּבֵּק בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם הָרָעִים. וְתוֹסִיף הַצָּרָה צָרוֹת אֲחֵרוֹת. הוּא שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה (ויקרא כו כז) "וַהֲלַכְתֶּם עִמִּי בְּקֶרִי" (ויקרא כו כח) "וְהָלַכְתִּי גַּם אֲנִי עִמָּכֶם בַּחֲמַת קֶרִי". כְּלוֹמַר כְּשֶׁאָבִיא עֲלֵיכֶם צָרָה כְּדֵי שֶׁתָּשׁוּבוּ אִם תֹּאמְרוּ שֶׁהִיא קֶרִי אוֹסִיף לָכֶם חֲמַת אוֹתוֹ קֶרִי:
Conversely, should the people fail to cry out [to God] and sound the trumpets, and instead say, "What has happened to us is merely a natural phenomenon and this difficulty is merely a chance occurrence," this is a cruel conception of things, which causes them to remain attached to their wicked deeds. Thus, this time of distress will lead to further distresses.
This is implied by the Torah's statement [Leviticus 26:27-28]: "If you remain indifferent to Me, I will be indifferent to you with a vengeance." The implication of the verse is: When I bring difficulties upon you so that you shall repent and you say it is a chance occurrence, I will add to your [punishment] an expression of vengeance for that indifference [to Divine Providence].
