For the people of Gaza, the present war is a total disaster. But for top-level leaders of Hamas, it is going extremely well. While their people suffer, the highest-ranking Hamas leaders sit in luxurious accommodations, far from the violence in Gaza. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, has been living in Qatar since 2016. He hasn’t set foot in Gaza since 2019. Yet from Gaza, he has accumulated a net worth of $4 billion.
Take a second to let that sink in. The terrorist leader of Hamas is a billionaire four times over. How did he accumulate such wealth? He leads some of the poorest people in the world. Other nations, including the United States, see the Gazan’s great need, and they send money. Hamas leaders use that money to strengthen their military infrastructure, and to line their own pockets.
Hamas is not only a terrorist organization, but a gang of thieves. They lead one of the most corrupt governments the world has ever known. Why would the people of Gaza put up with this? For the most part, they don’t know the magnitude of the help that comes to them from around the world. When Hamas doles out a little of that help, their fellow Gazans see it as generous. But the biggest reason Hamas stays in power is that the people of Gaza have been taught from early childhood not to blame their suffering on the Hamas leaders who are causing it. They blame it on Israel.
The fascinating thing is that the facts I’ve laid out here, such as Haniyeh’s wealth, are well-known around the world. But the global media shows a bizarre reluctance to tell the real story. They, too, blame Israel. I think it comes from humanity’s ancient prejudice against Jews.
We think of Hamas as backward, yet they are winning the public opinion war in a big way. Their vicious attack on Israeli civilians resulted in massive gains. In just the last few days, Ireland, Spain, and Norway all recognized a Palestinian state. Their actions are largely symbolic, but it strengthens Hamas’s hand. Everyone knows it happened as a direct result of October 7th.
In Gaza, Hamas soldiers have died in large numbers, but the leadership abroad remains intact. Despite their losses, Palestinians in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria see Hamas as effective leaders, able to turn the world against Israel. In that way, campus protestors in America, the nations of Ireland, Spain, and Norway, the United Nations, and even actions by the US government, have prolonged the war and increased Hamas power over all Palestinians.
Hamas could have a ceasefire at any time, but its leaders are not suffering. Hamas leaders want high casualty counts among Palestinian civilians. They want scenes of suffering. While Israel does its best not to harm civilians, they must go into hostile territory to defeat the enemy and free the hostages. Meanwhile, the world works against them.
Israel has given Hamas generous terms at the negotiating table, but Hamas leaders do not yet want peace. Published reports say that in April even the leaders of Qatar had had their fill. They became so angry at Hamas leader Haniyeh for his unyieldingness regarding the hostages that they kicked him out of the country. He moved to Turkey, but Qatari leaders soon relented and brought him back to Qatar. It’s interesting that Qatar became disgusted with the very behavior that Ireland, Spain, and Norway have decided to reward.
How should Christians respond? Remember that all this was foretold by the prophets, and it leads to something wonderful — the return of Jesus. So, stay faithful. Continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Draw especially close to the Lord and His Word in this hour. Spread the good news of God’s amazing salvation. The penultimate verse in the Bible contains a prayer that seems especially appropriate in times like these — “Come, Lord Jesus.”
