As of Thursday night, Oct. 12, more Palestinians had been killed by Israeli military operations than Israelis killed by the surprise Hamas attack that began a new round of violence in the Middle East Oct. 7.
Further, the nation of Israel has launched a full-scale assault on the Gaza Strip, forcing about 340,000 people to flee their homes even as routes out of the small territory were blocked by Israeli defensive actions.
Then Friday morning, Oct. 13, Israel’s military called for total evacuation of the 1.1 million people who live in northern Gaza within 24 hours. U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric called the order “impossible” without “devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Israel also cut off electricity, water and food supplies to Gaza, leaving even hospitals treating the wounded with no ability to save lives. Israel pledged to continue the blockade until 150 hostages taken by Hamas from Israel are released.
The world watched in horror as the Hamas invasion and assault against Israel unfolded over the weekend, leaving an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 people dead and several thousand wounded.
Among the dead were young people attending a music festival where Israeli newspaper Haaretz, described the scene as a “massacre” and a “battlefield.” International news organizations reported evidence of other atrocities, including families massacred in their homes and babies and children beheaded by Hamas militants.
International news organizations reported evidence of other atrocities, including families massacred in their homes and babies and children beheaded by Hamas militants.
“We see blood spread out in homes. We’ve found bodies of people who have been butchered,” said Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Maj. Libby Weiss. “The depravity of it is haunting.”
As the Western world rallied around Israel, its president, Benjamin Netanyahu, and top leaders planned retaliatory actions against Hamas that also targeted Palestinian civilians living in the West Bank and Gaza. Those actions now have killed at least 1,500 Palestinians.
Israeli airstrikes left entire sections of the Gaza Strip in rubble. The World Health Organization said it had documented 34 attacks on health care facilities in Gaza that killed health workers, damaged health facilities and equipment and left doctors unable to provide life-saving medical care.
The WHO warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” due to Israel’s retaliatory actions.
Yet U.S. leaders, including President Joe Biden, continued to express unflinching support for Israel and its right to retaliate for the atrocities committed by Hamas. In remarks from the White House, Biden said: “In this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack. There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse.”
Others, however, warned there is no virtue in the strategy of an eye for an eye and called for nonviolent solutions to the conflict.
Jim Wallis
Among those was Jim Wallis, founder of the evangelical social justice group Sojourners. In an online post titled “Two Truths and Countless Sorrows in Israel and Gaza,” he quoted from the New Testament book of Romans: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Wallis called the Hamas actions “soul wrenching,” “horrific,” “inhuman,” “murder,” “massacre” and “utter evil.”
However, he cautioned, “The deliberate destruction of civilians, from any and all sides, is the definition of terrorism — period.”
He added: “It is entirely illusive that one’s own security can be found by refusing to accept the security of others in the same land. The depth of one people’s sorrow is not being understood or felt by the depth of the other people’s sorrow. And the depth of our problem is that the first set of words about Israeli suffering is not being deeply connected to the second set of words about Palestinian suffering, and vice versa. There are two truths here that are not being put together — but must be.”
Wallis reiterated support for a two-state solution that would give both Israel and the Palestinian people independent homelands. This goal never has been “given more than lip service instead of the aggressive diplomacy it needs,” he said. “And when the more dominant people oppress others, peace will be impossible and suffering will be a constant way of life — for both sides.”
“Jesus is the Prince of Peace, not the Prince of Retaliation.”
He spoke directly to evangelicals “who are calling for massive military reactions against this horrible terrorism.” To them, he reminded, “Jesus is the Prince of Peace, not the Prince of Retaliation. To say that God wants Israel to own, control and dominate the Holy Land and ignore, oppress and even expel the Palestinian people is anti-biblical and anti-God.”
Russell Moore
On the other hand, Russell Moore, editor of Christianity Today, wrote a second piece outlining the most common evangelical attitude toward the war, which is to support Israel and blame Hamas. In an earlier piece, Moore said “moral clarity” requires standing with Israel.
His Oct. 12 piece, published as Israel was driving civilians out of Gaza and bombing their homes, decried the “bothsideism” expressed by some more progressive Christians.
“Hamas targeted innocent civilians. Hamas butchered young people dancing at a music festival. Hamas murdered elderly people and toddlers and babies, reportedly in the most sadistic ways imaginable,” Moore wrote. “There is no ‘contextualization’ needed to condemn that, to recognize Israelis (and innocent Palestinians) as victims here, with Hamas as the evildoer.”
Without acknowledging the actions of the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, Moore declared of Israel’s wounds: “No matter how you look at it, there is no justifying the killing of unarmed non-combatants.”
He concluded: “Hamas is genocidally evil. They and their co-conspirators are solely responsible for their actions. Whatever our views on Middle East policy, whatever our thoughts on military strategy, let’s not be afraid to say that. And let’s not forget our God’s justice and mercy overcomes the wickedness of man.”
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