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We learned yesterday that Israeli hostages were forced by their Palestinian captors to recite the Quran and Islamic prayers every day, according to one of the hostages freed in a daring raid on Saturday.
Moreover, the hostages — who were often guarded by civilians aligned with Hamas — had been beaten regularly and suffered other forms of physical and psychological torture.
The leftist media has been telling us a very different story, constantly highlighting the so-called atrocities "committed by the Israelis."
Be informed, not misled.
Though the four hostages who were rescued — Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40 — appeared to be healthy when arriving in Israel, doctors said that they had been malnourished and that their muscles were near atrophy from lack of use.
The Times of Israel reported, "The four hostages who were rescued on Saturday from Gaza are in a worse physical and psychological state than initially believed, according to Hebrew media reports on Sunday."
Channel 13 reported on Sunday that Ziv said he had learned Arabic from Al-Jazeera broadcasts he watched in captivity and that their captors forced them to read the Quran and pray Islamic prayers every day.
The Wall Street Journal says, "Their captors doled out punishments if the captives didn’t follow their strict rules, including locking them in the bathroom and piling blankets on them during hot weather. They repeatedly threatened to kill them."
A doctor who has been treating groups of rescued or released hostages since Oct. 7 said that despite the initial positive assessments based on their cheerful demeanor on TV, they had endured “physical and mental torture.
Argamani has also begun to share some of what she went through, telling her family that she narrowly avoided death four times in captivity, according to Channel 12 news.
The IDF released footage from the operation that rescued the four hostages.
The face of evil behind the curtain.
“We have the Israelis right where we want them,” Sinwar said in a recent message to Hamas officials seeking to broker an agreement with Qatari and Egyptian officials.
In dozens of messages—reviewed by The Wall Street Journal—that Sinwar has transmitted to cease-fire negotiators, Hamas compatriots outside Gaza, and others, he’s shown a cold disregard for human life and made clear he believes Israel has more to lose from the war than Hamas. The messages were shared by multiple people with differing views of Sinwar...In one message to Hamas leaders in Doha, Sinwar cited civilian losses in national-liberation conflicts in places such as Algeria, where hundreds of thousands of people died fighting for independence from France, saying, “These are necessary sacrifices.”
Takeaway
Pastor Greg Laurie has written an excellent article answering the question: "Why Should Christians Support Israel?"
What is happening in Israel is not about Palestine or the Palestinian people. And it is even bigger than Hamas and Israel. Plain and simple, this is about the hatred of the Jewish people. These are God’s chosen people, and Christians should be ready to support Israel.
This is an overview of what he has written. I strongly encourage you to read it.
An Alarming Rise of Antisemitism
We have an alarming rise in antisemitism across the world right now. Even in our universities here in the United States, right on the heels of the recent attack on innocent Jewish people in their homeland of Israel.
Accusations & Enemies Against Israel: Apartheid, Stolen Land, Iran…
It is not an apartheid state. “Apartheid” became well known because of what happened in South Africa, where the black population was treated differently than the white population; the white population was favored. There is nothing of that kind going on in Israel.
Jewish Hate Is Nothing New
This goes back centuries. Egypt wanted to destroy the Jews when Pharaoh gave the order to murder the Jewish baby boys (Exodus 1). Ancient Persia (modern Iran) wanted to eradicate the Jews through the wicked plot of Haman (Esther 3). Fast forward: Adolf Hitler had his “Final Solution” to destroy the Jewish people and ultimately murdered over 6 million of them in the Holocaust. But God intervened.
Now, we have Hamas committing murders and unthinkable atrocities; it is pure evil. But God always intervenes—He raised up Moses to deliver the Jews from Pharaoh and Egypt. He raised up Queen Esther to use her influence to save her fellow Jews from the plot to destroy them.
Christians Should Support Israel
From the Jews came our Bible. From the Jews came our Messiah. We owe them a great debt, and now we must pray for them as a nation and a people.
Many were silent when this happened only a few generations ago in Nazi Germany, but we cannot be now. As Christians, we must stand up for our Jewish friends and the nation of Israel. These are God’s very chosen people!
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Strong. Be Prayerful.