The mainstream news media report incessantly about the hardships the Palestinians have faced since October 7, 2023. But they often ignore or minimize Israel’s hardship, one that Linoy Madar recently articulated.
Linoy, her husband, and their two children are among some 200,000 Israelis from the north and south who have become refugees in their own country. Forced to evacuate their homes more than a year ago, they move like vagabonds from hotel to small apartment to hotel, trying to find a place to live as Hamas and Hezbollah pursue their relentless aggression against Israel.
Interviewed on The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s The Jew and Gentile Podcast, Linoy shared her harrowing post-October 7 experience with Vice President of North American Ministries Steve Herzig and me.
As she discussed her family’s trauma, she displayed the strength and sentiment of the Israeli spirit. Instead of seeking sympathy for herself, she emphasized her great concern for the hostages Hamas has held since October 7, when Arab terrorists murdered more than 1,200 innocent Israelis and abducted 251 men, women, and children, some of whom have died or been murdered in captivity. “Do not worry about us when there are still hostages in Gaza,” she told us.
Liz Hirsh Naftali, a hostage-release advocate and humanitarian ambassador, knows this suffering all too well. She lost her niece to the terrorists on October 7; and her great-niece, 4-year-old Abigail, was taken hostage. Although Abigail was released in November 2023, Naftali’s commitment to advocacy has not wavered.
“If Hamas freed all the hostages tomorrow,” she said, “the fighting would stop; and the Palestinian people in Gaza, who suffer gravely under Hamas, would also be free.”
In August, the international news media was optimistic for successful hostage negotiations. But Hamas rejected the United States’ hostage-release and ceasefire proposal, plunging the situation into another painful stalemate. In September, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they found the dead bodies of six hostages during a rescue mission. Hamas had executed the victims shortly before Israeli soldiers arrived to free them.
Hamas’s intransigence echoes Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal to free the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. Just as Pharaoh was given many opportunities to make the right choice, Hamas also has been offered opportunities to act humanely. But, like Pharaoh, the terrorists have hardened their hearts, intent on bringing suffering to others—and to themselves.
Pharaoh’s refusal led God to afflict Egypt with 10 plagues—divine judgments that devastated Pharaoh’s country and culminated in his downfall. Similarly, Hamas’s refusal has made Gaza the focus of Israel’s military and diplomatic pressure. The path Hamas has chosen is fraught with peril and can only lead the Gazans into further devastation.
Approximately 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza as the IDF works to dismantle years of Hamas rule that have been characterized by extensive military infrastructure built beneath Gaza’s neighborhoods—more than 350 miles of terrorist tunnels, far exceeding analysts’ expectations.
For nearly 20 years, Hamas has failed the Palestinian people. Its leaders do not seek to improve lives in Gaza but instead are consumed with destroying Israel. Hamas values death over life.
The comparison is clear: A hardened heart toward God’s people invites ruin. Will Hamas continue down this tragic path, or will it choose a different course and let God’s people go?
Like Linoy, we hope Hamas will release all remaining hostages and be rendered powerless to take Israelis captive ever again. And like King David, we urge everyone, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’” (Ps. 122:6).
Chris Katulka is the director of North American Ministries for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, the host of The Friends of Israel Today radio program, a Bible teacher, and writer for Israel My Glory magazine.
