On October 7, 2023, Hamas — elected to power in 2006 — launched a major attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, firing thousands of rockets and sending fighters across the border. The assault targeted Israeli towns and army bases near Gaza, resulting in mass casualties and the taking of Israeli hostages by militants.
The Israeli military responded with widespread airstrikes and mobilized its military for a prolonged campaign. The attack marked the deadliest day in Israel’s history, with hundreds killed, and has led to intense fighting, indictments for war crimes, and a declaration of genocide against Palestinians. The incident triggered a new phase of the Israel-Hamas conflict with severe, unimaginable consequences for both Gaza and Israel.
Jonathan Walton
Some experienced the violence as a shock, others as a norm, and some as an opportunity for profit and escalation.
First, many were shocked.
In our current news media cycle, things move exceptionally fast as profiteers, pundits, pastors and politicians compete for attention. With a seemingly unending election season in the United States and the presence of Donald Trump, there was little room in our news diet for updates from the Middle East — let alone any substantive coverage of the segregated, stratified lives of Palestinians and Israelis.
The October 7 attacks forced the enduring conflict — instigated by Western powers in 1948 when they displaced Palestinians and created the state of Israel — onto the front pages of major publications and into our news feeds.
For others, this was the norm.
Many people in the United States and the West hold little to no knowledge of the Middle East, its people and their histories. And if the coverage is seen, it is biased toward one side or the other or violence is believed to be expected. Best-selling author and comedian Trevor Noah pointed this out alongside many other journalists when major Western news outlets spoke of Ukraine in contrast to the Middle East. Multiple commentators said they believed this type of violence happened over there but not over here.
Moreover, a detailed Gallup survey shows that in 2019, 71% of Americans learned very little or nothing at all about U.S. foreign policy in school. With little working knowledge of the region, the story is news until the next Instagram story, TikTok video or viral post captures our attention.
Finally, for a small but vocal group of people, October 7 became the launching pad for opportunities to expand their reach, influence or pocketbooks.
Many have noted that Benjamin Netanyahu has used the conflict to shield himself from many investigations. Far-right Israelis are leveraging this opportunity to expand illegal settlements, and the UN laid out a detailed report of how many corporations like Lockheed Martin, Amazon and Google are reaping great financial benefits from the expanding conflict.
“Since October 7, 2023, I’ve learned a lot about myself, the people who claim the same faith I do, and the limits of humanity.”
Wherever we find ourselves entering this conflict, we must slow down, remember who we are as followers of Jesus, and tell the truth of Jesus’ love, care and concern for the poor, marginalized and neglected.
Since October 7, 2023, I’ve learned a lot about myself, the people who claim the same faith I do, and the limits of humanity to see beyond our own echo chambers, cultural bubbles and algorithm-driven media streams. I’ve had to work hard to hold fast to the beauty and resistance that is available at all times — not choosing one or the other 100% of the time but holding both the amazing and the hard, the awesome and awful, in godly tension.
Grief, resistance and simplifying complexity are what stand out to me.
Grief
What I am able to be sad about signals what I value. And if I am unable to grieve the fact that 48 hostages still remain in Gaza, then my heart is unhealthy.
Simultaneously, if I am unable to grieve decades of displacement, occupation, murder and violence against the Palestinians, then something is woefully broken within me. The Apostle Paul, in line with Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as ourselves, calls us to mourn with those who mourn in Romans 12:15, so I must continually push to cultivate my heart, mind and hands to be soft, open and willing to hold God’s love closer than my anger, confusion or rage.
Resistance
I must resist injustice and the temptation to be violent, vengeful, judgmental, condescending and indifferent every moment.
Social, print, digital, legacy and mass media are all pulling to one side or the other, competing for eyeballs in an economy built on outrage and attention. I must say “no” to othering people made in the image of God. That includes Israelis and Palestinians.
The answer to oppression is not a different oppressor. Love is a transformative, reconciling force. Hate only leads to more hate; violence only begets more violence. So immediately, and ultimately, nonviolent resistance, whatever the consequences, must be the goal and practice for Jesus followers.
Simplifying complexity
I often use big words, concepts and metaphors to hide what I’m thinking and feeling, especially if I’m afraid of the outcome. I can be evasive or unnecessarily long-winded when I think someone could be offended or reject me. But some things like “we were not meant to kill one another” don’t need to be complex.
And no matter how much someone hates or harms me or those I love, my desires for or my direct violence toward them is wholly unjustifiable. There is no basis in the Christian faith for antisemitism, islamophobia, terrorism, exploitation or violence of any kind. Yet the teachings of Jesus get twisted to make room for all kinds of nonsensical trash I must trust God to judge — not me.
I am called to love — to receive love from God and others and give it away generously as best as I can at all times by God’s grace. And call others to do the same in humility and service to all people made in his image. That includes Palestinians and Israelis.
I am unsure of what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. And it is my fervent hope that all of us are able to grieve the immense suffering around us, resist the temptation to be violent and live out the simple and difficult call to love our neighbors well.
And our neighbors include every person made in the image of God — Palestinian and Israeli.
Jonathan Walton is a writer, speaker and facilitator at the intersection of faith, justice and emotional health. He leads Beauty and Resistance Cohorts, writes The Crux on Substack and is a senior resource specialist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship focusing on political discipleship and civic engagement. He has written five books, including Twelve Lies that Hold America Captive and Beauty and Resistance. He holds a degree in creative writing from Columbia University and a master of arts from the City University in New York in the Study of the Americas. The views and opinions expressed here are solely the author’s and do not represent those of his employer, any affiliated organization, or any institution with which he is associated.