The Reality of War

Yesterday we traveled near Gaza. Seeing the smoke rising from the city and hearing the machine guns was an eerie reality that evil still exists. The Israeli citizens have been dealing with terrorist attacks for decades and what happened on October 7 should be a wakeup call for all of us.

The reality of what happened that day is shocking and as I said earlier, evil.

I had the opportunity to speak with people who were there. A man that shall remain nameless in a small village located just a mile from Gaza told me the story of that awful day. He showed me holes in buildings in and around his village that were hit with rockets and grenades. He showed me bone chilling videos of the terrorists approaching his small peaceful village. They were able to fend off the small company of terrorists long enough for Israeli soldiers to get there however it cost at least one soldier his life as he bravely jumped on top of a grenade to save his friends. More soldiers were injured saving this village. They were blessed as the terrorists were prevented from entering.

A larger town just southeast of this village had a much worse outcome. Entering this town, the terrorists came storming in shooting men, women, and children at random. A tour bus traveling through this town full of holocaust survivors was making its way to the Dead Sea and had a flat tire. As the elderly survivors were waiting for the tire to get fixed the terrorists slaughtered all of them and lined the street with their blood. Imagine surviving the holocaust and then being mercilessly slaughtered by the same evil and hate over fifty years later. Women were repeatedly raped, and children were paraded around like trophies and then killed in front of their parents. We ate lunch there and you could feel the grief, pain, and uneasiness of this community.  

Yesterday was the first day back in school for the kids in this town. Most of them still scared to leave home. Imagine living in a constant state of fear because of the terrorists who live only a mile away. Many of their own neighbors are still being held captive and the constant noise of machine guns and smoke rising from the west creates an uneasy backdrop for life.

Reality over slogans.

 You hear a lot of garbage from pro Hamas antis-emetic groups in America and around the world. I’m over it. The accounts above and more that I did not tell you shook me to the core. It is possible for Muslims, Jews, and Christians to live together peacefully. I’m staying in a city tonight that has all three groups living near one another. They respect each other and leave each other alone. The Muslims here are protected under Israeli law! Imagine that! The same Israel that is smeared and lied about in the news protecting Muslims who live here peacefully. Additionally, Israel has tried to send humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip several times. Their truck drivers were killed and kidnapped on their first attempt; recently the trucks were swarmed as people there tried to claw their way into the cabs and pop the tires. Additionally, Hamas started shooting their own people. We are dealing with a clear situation of good verses evil. Of course, there are Palestinian citizens suffering and we must pray for them and obviously help them if we can. Sadly, a large number of the citizens were celebrating in the streets after the carnage. Let’s not pretend that Israel is not trying to help the citizens. It is Hamas that is putting their own people in harms way. Hamas terrorists are evil to the core. Yet Israel is blamed.

The truth matters.

This cowardly terrorist attack has emboldened other terrorist organizations on the north side of Israel. I’m staying in a hotel tonight full of families that have been displaced as a result of the onslaught of rockets on the northern border. There is a sad yet resilient atmosphere here in Israel. People are coming together and almost everyone I have had an opportunity to visit with has been affected in some way. Either by a family member in the military fighting in Gaza or someone they know being killed or kidnapped.

We must stand with Israel.

Imagine this happening to someone you love. It would then be a different story. We must not forget that there is evil in the world, and we are not beyond its reach. I am so thankful for our soldiers who are willing to fight so that we can live peacefully in freedom. Yesterday I saw firsthand the price of freedom as I walked the halls of a hospital serving meals to wounded Israeli soldiers. These were young men whose lives would be forever changed.

What can we do?

Pray for Israel. Pray for the hostages and their families. Pray for their soldiers. Pray that Israel would have success in rooting out the terrorists. Pray for the those who are hurting, broken, and hungry who are not on the side of the terrorists. Pray for the courage to speak out and stand against evil. Pray for open eyes and hearts to Jesus as people look to God for help. May we be His hands and feet.