Bodies of 3 Kidnapped Boys Found

Yesterday, I sent my personal note of condolence to the parents of three Israeli, Jewish, boys who were kidnapped almost three weeks ago, and whose dead bodies were discovered on Monday.  There is little doubt that the perpetrators of this crime were connected with Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organisation that aims to remove the Children of Israel from the land that was covenanted to them by Almighty God.

Over the last few days, thousands of Israelis were forced to take shelter, as Hamas launched dozens of rockets from Gaza towards residential areas in Israel. In the recent barrage, three homes were hit, a paint factory was destroyed, and several vehicles were damaged. More than 70 rockets have been indiscriminately fired at Israel over the last month, a dramatic increase compared to the same period last year.

Israel’s Air force has been targeting Hamas and terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, killing three terrorists over the last week. In a message to the press, a Hamas spokesperson responded that these attacks “will open the gates of hell on Israel”.

It is important to note that the kidnap, and murder, of the three boys, and the indiscriminate fire aimed at Israeli civilian centres, are by no means isolated events - they are both the result of Hamas’ ruthless terror tactics and vehement ideology.  As already noted, Hamas’ radical charter calls for the eradication of the Jewish State and states that: "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him”.

In describing Israel’s battle against terrorism, the international media often employs phrases such as “tit for tat” or “cycle of violence,” implying moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas, between an army’s unwavering commitment to protecting civilians (on both sides) and a terrorist organization that targets civilians in Israel and then hides behind them in Gaza.   There is no comparison!

We pray for the peace of Jerusalem - and we pray for the parents, and families, of Eyal, Gil-ad and Naftali, and for all who have suffered, including Palestinians, from the cowardly attacks of Hamas.