It has been one year since the world awoke to the terrible atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel. Hamas and Israel have been at war since. Much like the United States after 9/11, Israel will likely never be the same. The barbarism at the hands of Hamas makes us question where God was when this happened. Today, there are still an estimated 100 people still held by Hamas, including children. What has changed in the past year, and what is ahead? Let’s take a look.
Hamas-Israel War: One Year Later
Much has happened in the past year following the brutal attack on innocent Israelis in 2023. There have been some significant changes over the past year:
- Some hostages have been freed
- The remains of some hostages have been recovered
- Very large numbers of Hamas terrorists have been eliminated
- The tunnel system below Gaza has been largely destroyed
- Much of Gaza has been decimated, and the death toll is significant including civilians
- Much of Hezbollah leadership has been eliminated
- Israel has begun a ground offensive in Lebanon
- Iran has joined the fray exchanging missile attacks with Israel
Reflections on the past year
The first thought that comes to mind is of the hostages and their families. The uncertainty about whether the hostages are still alive, and the hostages may not know if their families are alive. The children taken hostage are an especially tragic situation for the families.
There are many people in Gaza as well that have suffered through the war. The civilian toll is high, although there is a question as to how many innocent adults there are in Gaza. Certainly, the children killed or injured are innocent, but the question remains of the adults. Watching the people celebrate the hostages brought back, and spitting on the hostages one has to wonder. Hamas is accountable for the deaths in Gaza as well. Hamas and most terror organizations use civilians to shield their weapons and fighters. Weapons in tunnels underneath children’s bedrooms, hospitals, and school are the norm for Hamas and Hezbollah.
The war has escalated to include Hezbollah and Iran. Iran has attacked Israel twice with Israel responding once. Israel has eliminated all of the Hamas and Hezbollah leadership although there is always someone to take their place.
Hamas-Israel War: Where is God during the war?
This is the age-old question, why do bad things happen to good people? This question goes back to the time of Job. Jesus tells us there will be suffering in John 16:33:
“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
God gives us all free will to choose to love him or not. There is evil in the world and the atrocities of October 7th certainly qualifies as evil, but God promises to be with us always. The answer to the question why is a complicated one, but I will try and answer. An article on Bible Gateway explains this well:
- Why didn’t God create a world without tragedy and suffering? He did. We are told this in the book of Genesis.
- God gave us free will. Our choosing to love Him is a choice. Love is always a choice. God wanted us to experience love. but this means we had to also experience suffering.
- Free will allows evil and sin to enter the world. The sinful behavior of those in Hamas perpetrated the attacks, yet the world has many loving people to respond to the victims, and to potentially prevent these attacks.
- Why didn’t God prevent this? While the suffering is not good, God finds good from ALL situations. God uses suffering to accomplish good.
These answers may not satisfy the question for many, but we do see the evil and the good that comes from horrific acts like October 7th. Let’s take some time today to remember those that lost their lives, those still being held hostage, and the families that are grieving loss. Let’s also pray that we do not see the horrific evil we saw last year.
Comments are welcome and encouraged.
God Bless