Starving Hostages
Israeli hostages held by Hamas are facing starvation. This reality was driven home this week by propaganda videos released by Hamas showing two of the hostages in an emaciated condition. The videos come just a week after many world leaders sounded the alarm about famine conditions in Gaza and the growing threat of starvation in the region. As the war between Israel and Hamas continues to wage, outcry over the ensuing humanitarian collateral damage is growing. The surviving hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023 have now been held for nearly 22 months.
Analysis and eternal perspective: War is so very ugly. If you are a regular reader of The Equipped, you may recognize the mirrored similarity between last week’s leading story and this week’s leading story. The simple truth is this: People are starving in Gaza. People of varied races and background, and people on opposing sides of the war. It is far from the only devastation as a result of the ongoing war, but it is perhaps the most stark example of the need for a true and lasting peace.
There is another simple truth that everyone should be able to stand firmly on: Every hostage should be released and allowed to return home.
A full release of the hostages would not resolve the underlying war, but it would remove a significant impediment to peace and reunite families so brutally torn apart nearly two years ago. It is time (far past time, actually) for world leaders and people everywhere to speak with one voice: “Release every hostage now.”
As a Jesus follower, set your heart on the truth that every suffering human is a person deeply loved by God. As we have done repeatedly as The Equipped family, continue to faithfully apply a biblical framework to the devastation in the Middle East, and be encouraged by the promise of Psalm 126, which opens this way:
“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them’” (Ps. 126:1-2).
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.