What have we learned after 150 days of war?
It’s been more than 150 days since Hamas terrorists invaded my homeland, Israel, the only home for the Jewish people, leaving behind a trail of blood, devastation, and destruction.
It’s been more than 150 days since innocent Israeli families have been torn apart, loved ones murdered, brutalized, and taken from their homes. It’s been more than 150 days since husbands, wives, children, grandparents, family, and friends have lived in agonizing uncertainty, not knowing whether their loved ones are still alive.
It’s been more than 150 days since October 7, when Hamas terrorists launched their horrific assault, brutally murdering 1,200 innocent Israelis and taking 240 as hostages. It’s been more than 150 days, and still more than 130 men, women, and children remain hostages somewhere in Gaza.
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After more than 150 days, what have we learned? We have learned that in the court of public opinion, Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist group, which is accountable to no one, appears to be winning through its campaign of lies and deception.
That our enemies employ such tactics is nothing new. Since biblical times, when Haman used deception to persuade King Xerxes to annihilate all the Jews in Persia, to blood libels and the vile propaganda perpetuated by Nazi Germany, to anti-Semitic attacks today, the Jewish people have been unjustly targeted.
Yet, thankfully today, we do not face such hatred and deception alone. Not only do we have a homeland and an army to fight for us, but we also have friends that stand with us. Millions of Christians around the world stand with Israel through their prayers and support. They have not been fooled by the lies and deception. Israel’s Christians friends are committed to rejecting these lies and spreading love and support for the Jewish people.
As people of faith, we stand together, and believe the words of the prophet Isaiah: “‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the LORD” (Isaiah 54:17).
Now, however, it’s time for the rest of the Western world to wake up. It’s time to recognize the truth and acknowledge the many ways that Hamas is effectively manipulating the West. It’s time to end this cycle of deceit.
Since the beginning of this war, Hamas has been manipulating the West in three critical areas. First, every day Hamas releases the number of Palestinian casualties — often within minutes of a reported attack by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). How can that be? How can they be getting accurate information that quickly? The answer is: they can’t.
It took the Israeli government weeks to accurately identify those killed in the October 7 attack and provide an accurate number to the world. Israel even downgraded the number when the original was found to be inaccurate.
We know that Hamas’ numbers are inflated and unreliable. Yet, day after day, the West dutifully reports these numbers — which, again, come from an internationally recognized terrorist organization, with no accountability or credibility. How can this be?
Second, Israel, a democratic, freedom-loving nation, which holds to international law, is fighting against a terrorist organization that doesn’t. Hamas is stealing the humanitarian aid in order to feed the terrorists, while intentionally perpetuating a humanitarian crisis amongst Gaza's citizens. They are unapologetically hiding their main combat centers in hospitals. They are stockpiling weapons in schools. They are launching rockets from mosques.
And so, when Israel legitimately tries to knock out these nests of terrorism, Hamas cries to the world, “Look! Israel is attacking mosques and schools and hospitals!” And the West responds by condemning Israel when all we are trying to do is defeat terrorism and protect our citizens from further attacks.
Third, the West has continued its pressure campaign on Israel, calling for an immediate ceasefire. The truth is that Israel wants nothing more than peace. As a nation, we have proven that over and over again as we have made peace with Morocco, with the UAE, with Bahrain, and other Arab nations. Israel wants peace and has continually worked toward that goal on many different fronts. Israel wants peace with her Palestinian neighbors as well. All the Palestinians need to do is acknowledge Israel’s right to exist and back away from Hamas’ stated mission to wipe Israel off the map. Then there will be peace.
Since the outset of this war, Israel has been clear that there will be a ceasefire when ALL of our hostages have been returned and when the Hamas terrorist leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar (who was treated for brain cancer in an Israeli hospital), is no longer able to pose a threat to Israel. Only then will there be peace. Only then will a ceasefire be possible.
Hamas, however, does not want that. They have refused to give us our hostages back. They won’t even tell us who is alive or dead. Their terrorist leader hides in civilian locations, deliberately putting innocent lives at risk. He has placed Israel's hostages all around him, in order to risk their lives and not his own.
This is unacceptable. Israel will not accept a ceasefire under such conditions, nor should it be expected to.
And so, as the world’s eyes now turn to Rafah in southern Gaza, where approximately 1.4 million Gazans, who have been evacuated from the north, are sheltering. Embedded among them is Hamas — and our 130 remaining hostages, who we are committed to rescuing.
So, what does this mean? Hamas knows that if Israel goes into Rafah to rescue our hostages there will be many civilian deaths, and the world will once again look at Israel as the aggressor. And that is exactly what Hamas wants. The West is playing right into Hamas terrorists’ hands. And we know this because their leadership has recently stated, “We have Israelis exactly where we want them.”
Instead of calling for a ceasefire under the current conditions, the world needs to call for an end to terrorism. The world needs to demand that Hamas return our hostages. Hamas terrorists should not be hiding among civilians. Hamas terrorists should not be hiding in hospitals or mosques. Hamas terrorists should not be firing rockets from the rooftops of U.N.-sponsored schools. Hamas should not be stealing the humanitarian aid the world is sending for Gaza civilians. We need to end this tyranny of terrorism.
Israel wants peace. As the psalmist wrote thousands of years ago, “I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war” (Psalm 120:7). We want peace so much that we are willing to send in our husbands, our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, to go door-to-door to find and rescue our hostages and root out the terrorists. We are doing this to protect our country and our citizens, yes, but also to save civilian lives in Gaza from being used as human shields.
Because, make no mistake about it, every person who is killed in Gaza, every hospital that is invaded because there are terrorists there, every school Israel must enter because they are being used to launch rockets, is the responsibility of one group, and one group only — Hamas.
It’s been more than 150 days, and enough is enough. The world must wake up and realize that in this conflict there is only one nation that values life, cherishes freedom, and promotes peace.
That nation is Israel.
As President and CEO of The Fellowship, Yael Eckstein oversees all programs and serves as the international spokesperson for the organization. With over a decade of non-profit experience in multiple roles, Yael has the rare distinction of being a woman leading one of the world’s largest religious charitable organizations. In addition to her podcast exploring the Jewish roots of the Christian faith, Nourish Your Biblical Roots. Yael also invites thought-leaders, pastors, authors, and other influencers to discuss Israel and Jewish-Christian relations on Conversations with Yael. She is the 2023 recipient of the Jerusalem Post’s Humanitarian Award, and in 2020 and 2021, was named to the publication’s list of 50 Most Influential Jews. Born outside of Chicago, Yael is based in Israel with her husband and their four children.
