Their Cries Heard Around The World

On Saturday October 07, 2023, another day that will live in infamy, man’s inhumanity was given center stage in a production that was tragic, brutal, and devoid of any respect for the dignity and sanctity of life. While innocent men, women, and children were celebrating a Jewish holiday, a swarm of savage bloodthirsty invaders descended on the people of Israel.

The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas was on a rampage and attacked the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. This is a 140-square-mile stretch of land between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea. The terrorists came by land, sea, and air; they breached a perimeter fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The people were the victims of atrocities that one might only experience in their worst nightmares. Entire families were slaughtered in their homes, which were then set ablaze by the depraved and demonic horde. At a music festival in southern Israel celebrating the holiday, 260 young people were killed by rocket fire. 

According to reports 200 men, women, and children were taken as hostages, and as of this writing over 1,500 have been slaughtered, including American citizens. Women were raped and killed and set on fire; even infants in their cribs did not escape the savagery. There were reports that these innocent little defenseless babies were not only butchered, they were beheaded. There were no exceptions, no one was spared from the wrath of the deadly vicious marauders; they showed no mercy. 

Some of the headlines read “War Crime,” “Pure Evil,” and “Kill as many as you can.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared “We are at war. Not an operation, not a round, but at war,” while setting in motion the mobilization of Israel’s Defense Forces. The Prime Minister added Israel would “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price.” 

The US will offer “all appropriate means of support, and will never fail to have Israel’s back,” declared President Biden. The sentiment is that the United States must stand firm in its commitment to support and defend its ally, Israel, to ensure its survival. Meanwhile, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah applauded the attack, as did the Iranian Parliament.  

Video released shows the Hamas invaders entered the Gaza killing field on paragliders, following a rocket barrage on the area. This multi-faceted attack included terrorists entering Israel across the northern and eastern borders of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of heartrending photos lined the pages of the print media, news websites, and social media. In one photo, a terrorist is seen carrying a baby hostage in one arm, while he has his weapon in the other. In another photo, a young woman is seen being carried off on a motorcycle by a terrorist, as she screams for help. You could see the fear and hopelessness in her eyes.

The Soroka Medical Center is 25 miles west of the Gaza Strip, and it is there where the victims of the attack, men, women, children, and the elderly, were taken. A spokesman for the hospital stated “The extent of the injuries was unprecedented. In the first 18 hours, we saw 700 people and treated them while under fire, literally bombs were falling around us, and sirens were going off.” 

The hospital spokesperson was incredulous when saying “What human being shoots young women in their beds? We had a patient come in, wearing her pajamas after being shot in bed. And a pregnant woman shot in her abdomen - she survived but the baby did not.” 

The Hamas terrorisst took control of the Gaza Strip following the October 7 (2023) attack. Israel since the takeover has been steadily bombing the area. There are reports that over 4,000 Palestinians have been killed in the bombings. While all this carnage is happening on the other side of the world, protesters have taken to the streets in America, blaming Israel for the war without even recognizing the October 7 massacre. It is believed most of the protesters are pro-Palestinian college students, together with outside agitators. 

One of the many weapons in war is propaganda, and Hamas and its legions have the capacity to lie and turn out questionable reports. On October 16, according to reports, a missile struck the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City killing over 500 people. According to the Hamas Health Ministry, the strike was Israeli in origin. According to Israel, however, it was a Hamas missile that misfired, which was later proven, and the missile struck a parking lot alongside the hospital. There were some casualties. 

The media is one of the biggest propagandists. Much of its reporting on the attack seemed to favor Hamas and the Palestinian cause. Many news and information outlets in the print media, cable and network news, and the internet, refused to use the term terrorist, instead calling the killers militants and fighters.

We should keep in mind that Israel will have to contend with a number of enemy factions, including Hezbollah of Lebanon, Hamas of Gaza, Palestine Islamic Jihad of the West Bank, Houthis of Yemen, Kataib Hezbollah of Iraq, Al-Ahtar Brigades of Bahrain, and what many believe is the originator of this war, Iran. Each of these entities, it can be said, seeks to destroy Israel and wipe it off the map.

The French historian, philosopher, and poet, Voltaire, wrote “A little evil is often necessary for obtaining a great good.” I always believed that evil is a manifestation of sinful behavior, and that any evil, whether a little or a lot, is offensive in the eyes of God. And what if the evil is beyond all reason and understanding, is morally reprehensible, and is so heinous and malicious that even the devil might wince at its wickedness? The innocent men, women, and children of the Hamas attack were all victims of such great evil. Is there any hope that good will come from this?