Israel Launches Massive Counter Assault on Hamas Terrorists in Gaza
This weekend Hamas terrorists launched a vicious and unprecedented attack from Gaza on Israel. The devastating attack resulted in the most Jews killed in a single day since the Holocaust. Israel is in a state of war.
As you know, this wasn’t just a round of rockets attacking Israel – it was a full land, sea, and air invasion by Hamas. Israel responded by launching a major counter-offensive assault in Gaza in retaliation against Hamas.
The Israeli military said it had largely gained control in its southern towns where it had been battling Hamas gunmen. But Hamas and other militants in Gaza say they are holding more than 130 soldiers and civilians snatched from inside Israel.
Israeli tanks and drones were deployed to guard breaches in the Gaza border fence to prevent new incursions. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from more than a dozen towns near Gaza, and the military summoned 300,000 reservists — a massive mobilization in a short time.
The moves, along with Israel’s formal declaration of war on Sunday, pointed to Israel increasingly shifting to the offensive against Hamas, threatening greater destruction in the densely populated, impoverished Gaza Strip.
Further, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Biden that ground troops would be necessary after Hamas’ attack. Negotiations are off the table.
Israel had no choice but to respond to the vicious attack, and we support Israel’s defending herself against her enemies. The videos and images of carnage on the news are heartbreaking.
The ACLJ is working right now to help Israel. We are sending letters to the United Nations, key congressional leaders, and world leaders to demand a significant response to this vicious terrorist attack that’s resulted in hundreds of Israeli civilians murdered and women and children taken hostage. And it’s not just Israeli hostages and deaths – up to 30 countries have citizens who have been taken hostage or killed, including Americans.
The ACLJ is also mobilizing its Jerusalem office to defend Israel’s interests on the global stage and sending a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show support.
What allowed this massive intelligence failure of biblical proportions, resulting in the deaths of hundreds? Now is not the time to point fingers, but someone must investigate the intelligence failures that led to this attack.
Right now, much of the world is showing support for Israel; for example, the Eiffel Tower displayed Israel’s colors. But we must not allow the narrative to shift to blaming Israel for this war.
The international community often portrays Israel as the perpetrator of violence in the Middle East and Gaza. We frequently defend Israel’s innocence on the world stage. In fact, I just appeared before the U.N. last week to warn of Hamas’ threat to Israel.
Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has already humiliated itself: Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent out a tweet calling for a ceasefire before Israel had a chance to respond to this unprompted attack. His tweet has since been taken down.
Politics aside, now is the time to stand with Israel. The Jewish people are in distress and in great need of prayers and support. Let your Jewish friends, both in America and abroad, know that you are on their side.
Join our efforts and show your support for Israel by signing our petition. Finally, please lift up Israel in your daily prayers: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:6).
The Sekulow broadcast included a full discussion of the turmoil in Israel. We interviewed CBN Middle East Correspondent Chris Mitchell, Chairman of the Alliance to Reinforce Israel’s Security and Economy Calev Myers, ACLJ Senior Advisor for National Security and Foreign Policy Ric Grenell, and Senior Counsel for International and Government Affairs Jeff Ballabon to get their thoughts on the unfolding tragedy in Israel.
Watch the full broadcast below: