It's been quite a week, but while I wasn't able to go out with Leket this week, thanks to local friends driving I did get down to the Otef to volunteer in support of Israeli farmers.

This week I returned to a little paradise in the sand dunes of the southern Otef where Itzik works his magic growing fruits and nuts from around the world. Some are native, some come from distant regions like the Amazon. He grows them all with a botanist's love and a scientists curiosity combined with an engineer's practical problem solving. He sells plants to private individuals, gardeners and farmers, common "exotic" fruit trees and rare plants that he's learnt to adapt to Israel's climate and soil, along with new varieties he's developed himself.

With only one worker and a war going on a short distance from his home Itzik has struggled to keep his unique plant nursery going, but despite the war and recently suffering a heart attack his enterprise is thriving. Each time I've volunteered there he has more plants, more stories, more projects and more patents. Israeli agricultural innovation at its finest. It was an honour to help even a little bit with this incredible project.

A gentle breeze was blowing, the weather was a perfect 24C, the sun felt a little strong at times but we were working in the shade of a net house surrounded by cool, lush greenery. But the occasional distant thud boom of artillery, whirr of drones or roar of jets reminded us that fighting had resumed in nearby Gaza.

This whole region could be a paradise for all if only Hamas would let everyone focus on building life instead of their obsession with destruction and death.