Today is the fourth day since the start of the Israel Gaza war and Hamas’ ruthless invasion of Israel. It is now being considered the most brutal attack since the Holocaust. In the last 75 years, there have not been this many Jews murdered in one day. The death toll has now passed 900, with 2,500 wounded(and counting). Israel now has 430,000 soldiers on the frontlines, including 260,000 reservists. Families all over the country have sent their sons, daughters, husbands and fathers into battle, not knowing if or when they will return.
Israel’s government still seems to be weighing their options, and have yet to mount a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip. The last few days have been spent clearing what we now know were 1,500 Hamas terrorists from the communities in southern Israel. Israel’s air force has been attacking Hamas targets in Gaza. On Monday night alone, the IAF struck more than 200 targets in the Gaza Strip. At the time of this writing, the news just broke that two senior Hamas leaders have been eliminated by the IDF.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has promised that Israel’s response to this brutal massacre will be of “unprecedented intensity”. At the same time, the current situation is extremely delicate as Hamas is holding at least 100 Israeli hostages inside of Gaza. Hamas claims to have 163 hostages, while the IDF’s official statement is that the number is at least 100. These hostages include men, women, teenagers, small children, and even babies.
The internet is rampant with horrific images of the killings, torture and kidnapping of Israeli citizens. A video is making its rounds on Twitter of a small Jewish child being taunted and tortured by Arab children in Gaza. Another video shows a toddler without her family, held captive by an Arab man in Gaza.
Entire families were slaughtered in their homes and villages in the south. One family was taken captive after they watched Hamas murder their daughter and sister. There was a music festival where Israelis were camped out for the last day of the holiday of Sukkot. When Hamas invaded Israel, they simply mowed down anyone in their path, and took as many hostages as possible. It wasn’t until Sunday that the IDF discovered 240 dead bodies in the field where so many were celebrating only the day before.
As Israel prepares for what could be a ground invasion in Gaza, they are also dividing their forces to bolster the northern border. Hezbollah, funded and trained by Iran, is building up on the Lebanese-Israeli border. There has already been one attempt by Hezbollah forces to infiltrate Israel’s border. This well-equipped terrorist group has already fired several rockets and anti-tank missiles at Israel.
The situation is still tense, complicated, and the future uncertain.
Everyone can support Israel right now through at least one of the following ways:
- Pray for the safety of the IDF and the hostages in Gaza. Pray for healing for those who were wounded. Pray for comfort for the families of those who were murdered. Pray for strength and wisdom for Israel’s leaders.
- Reach out to your local representatives. Encourage them to stand unequivocally with Israel during this time. This could be through making public statements supporting Israel or assisting with humanitarian or military aid to Israel.
- Support Israel financially by giving to our emergency fundraising campaign.
Reserve soldiers are being called to the front lines to fight the Israel Gaza war and it is leaving many Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria inadequately equipped and vulnerable.
We are receiving phone calls from security chiefs, farms, soldiers, and others, requesting our assistance. In many places the IDF soldiers who are stationed are not being provided food, water, and basic amenities. Security teams, farmers and soldiers are lacking basic equipment, such as flashlights, binoculars, night vision equipment, drones, and more.
100% of the funds given to this campaign will go directly towards purchasing much needed equipment. This equipment will be given to those who are serving and protecting the Jewish communities during this Israel Gaza war.
This campaign is very urgent, and the more support we receive, the more we will be able to help.
Thank you for praying, defending and supporting Israel during this difficult time. We will continue to provide you with updates as often as possible.
