Hundreds of Hamas terrorists have surrendered with their hands raised in various areas of the Gaza Strip in recent days. A mass surrender. Without clothes and only in their underpants, the men stand surrounded by Israeli soldiers with their arms raised and their ID cards in their hands. Elsewhere, the apprehended men are sitting on the street among the rubble in rows with blindfolds and their hands tied. Or Israeli army trucks transport the arrested men to closed zones where each one is interrogated. Anyone who is not a terrorist will be released – and believe me, Israel has its ways of determining this precisely. True, these are dramatic images, humiliating and pathetic photos. Many of our readers probably think so. And I would like to address this.
So about those photos of the underwear-clad Palestinians surrendering in Gaza, you can see from the footage here one of the Hamas terrorist handing over his assault rifle.
I’m going to wait for an apology for all those who rushed to condemn Israel …
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) December 9, 2023
No, from my point of view we are not doing anything inhumane or insulting. Everything has a reason. Firstly, we live in a different region, and secondly, we are faced with a new situation. As a reminder, on October 7, the barbaric Hamas terrorists did not give Israeli civilians the privilege of stripping to their underwear and surrendering with their hands raised. No, everything that moved, whether babies, children, mothers, women, young people at a party, soldiers, adults and even pets, were slaughtered. I have never seen a picture of Israelis standing with their hands raised in front of terrorists. Seen this way, the Israeli soldiers are already far more merciful in allowing the suspected terrorists to strip down and surrender.
But abroad these photos are often misunderstood and interpreted as humiliating, including among Christians. If on Black Shabbat the full majority of Christians felt pity for the Jewish people in Zion, with photos like these this pity for Israel is slowly but surely cooling down. Christians moan and lose patience with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “This is just revenge.” These Christians are neither on the side of Israel nor on the side of the Palestinians. They often only advocate for their fellow believers in Jesus who live in both Israel and the Gaza Strip. These Christians think they are holier and more pious with their sweet neutrality, but they forget that even the God of the Bible was not neutral. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was always on the side of His people. The fact that He punished His people from time to time is another matter. Christians measure Israel according to their Christian ideas, which often have nothing in common with reality, nor even with the Bible.
Those Palestinians in underpants in downtown Gaza, in Jebaliya or in Khan Yunis are not innocent. They either tried to destroy Israel two months ago or they applauded the terrorists for the “heroic massacre” in the south. You probably still remember the films and photos. And whoever has not sinned will be released after interrogation by the Israel Defense Forces. Yes, in the world in which we live, it is a privilege not to be automatically shot out of blind hatred just because they are Palestinians. The Hamas terrorists were like lions toward Israeli babies, children and women, but in the face of Israeli soldiers they are like rabbits. In the Arab world, the media is shocked by the images of surrendered Hamas terrorists, and is looking for the lion that previously roared and can no longer be found. It is also true that there is debate in the country about the extent to which these photos help Israel’s image on the international stage, or whether this is more of a form of self-gratification for Israeli society.
The Israelis drop a new leaflet that appears to mock the Hamas leadership and it prescribes a known Arabic saying:
“A lion in peace, a Rabbit in war” pic.twitter.com/X89R3Sb2MQ
— Gaza Report – اخبار غزة (@gaza_report) December 10, 2023
Israel dropped a new leaflet that appears to mock the Hamas leadership, quoting a well-known Arabic proverb: “A lion in peace, a rabbit in war.” In other words, in battle, Hamas terrorists are cowardly!
The terrorists who surrendered in recent days and handed themselves over to the Israeli forces said in their interrogations that they did so because they had lost contact with the Hamas leadership and did not know what to do, leaving them no other choice. Israel sees this as the first real sign of collapse in Hamas command and control after the ground offensive in the southern strip near Khan Yunis. The first changes in the behavioral pattern of the terrorist leadership can also be observed. According to Israel’s security sources, this suggests that the Hamas leadership in Khan Yunis is prioritizing their personal survival, thereby abandoning all the terrorists in the field.
For security reasons, the arrested Palestinians have to strip down to their underwear, because years of experience have shown that Palestinian terrorists have blown themselves up with explosive belts hidden under their clothes when Israeli soldiers approached them. So it’s not out of a desire to humiliate them, but purely a technical matter of security. Now you can of course ask why these photos have to be made public. This is part of the psychological struggle in the war with Hamas. These photos also reach the Palestinian networks and media and decrease morale and the will to fight Israel. Faithful Christians also criticize this, saying that such outrageous behavior toward the Palestinians is not necessary. I’m writing this because I know people like that. They do not think it is “Christian” or appropriate for enemies to be treated this way during war.
Western and international mouthpieces are now immediately outraged by the “humiliation” of unharmed, forcibly unarmed, #Gazan men or #Hamas soldiers made to sit in their underwear–than they ever were by the #10/7 #gangrapes, butchery, #mutilation, torture, murder, and… pic.twitter.com/nAzlzTiJtC
— Phyllis Chesler (@Phyllischesler) December 9, 2023
They judge Israel’s behavior according to their “Christian standards,” and in this case Israel loses a lot of points. Now I’m hearing complaints in Christian circles about “why Israel operates so ruthlessly, excessively and violently in the Gaza Strip, and thereby collectively punishes the Palestinian civilian population.” Israel doesn’t punish anyone, Israel defends itself! And if anyone has better suggestions, then they should show them to Israel first. It’s easy to criticize, but much more difficult to come up with real solutions. Especially from a distance, at the cute and snow-covered Christmas markets, many often think they know better. Do you know how many Israelis love these Christmas markets in Europe? Do you know how many Israelis are missing the ski season this winter in the Zillertal, the Dolomites, Val Tourens or St. Moritz?
At this time, most of the young soldiers and reservists are usually already up in the mountains with you and racing down the slopes, including me and my family and friends. In winter, your ski slopes are crowded with Israelis, but not this year. Believe me, between war or skiing, everyone would choose a ski holiday in the Alps. But everything has its time, now it’s war. Skiing has to wait until Hamas is destroyed. To those who are impatient with Israel because everything looks so bad in the media, I say, be patient. Believe me, we want everything to be over as quickly as possible and to live in peace. One thing is certain, however, Israel’s ethics and behavior in war cannot be compared to that of any other nation. I don’t say that to brag, but rather from my own experience. But sometimes – like now – we have no choice and must intervene in force, but all within the framework of the biblical laws of war:
“When you go to war against your enemy and see horses and chariots, a people greater than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, is with you.”
And if the biblical wars were not “Christian” enough for you, you probably have a little problem with the Bible.
IDF responds
The criticism about the terrorists in underpants was noticed by the Israeli army. It seems to have been understood that these images could damage the image of the IDF. A little later there were pictures of arrested suspects, this time dressed.
Terrorist surrendering continues. Their spirit is being crushed. pic.twitter.com/u1yRIKnSzs
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) December 11, 2023
Great article, Mr Schneider! Shame on the leftist world, because it is just another cover for their hatred of the Jews, when they point fingers at Israel for this. I rebuked an editor on Saturday for a nasty article about ‘proportionality’ and suggested he listens to Douglas Murray and Sky News Australia on YouTube.
I agree that probably some Christians are whining in their coziness in European homes over images from gaza (none of the Christian Danes that I know), but now an Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, has warned about global intifada and world war, saying that westerners cannot defend themselves like Israel. The whiners should preserve their whining to begrudge the Islamic influx to our countries.
Israel are entitled to use much bigger bombs in Gaza, and not warning anyone perhaps except its few friends there!
I wonder how many readers/ posters interpret the war/ battle scenes in the Scriptures. They are real; they, in most parts, were authorized by God.
The challenge is that the “Christian lens” looks at things from the perspective of New Testament writings that are not from the vantage point of the nation/ state of Israel. Rome ran Israel in that era. And there was no shortage of brutality.
But God’s dealings with Israel are still valid and He has a divine purpose for it going forward.
And there will be some unpleasant things for the nations going forward.
Revelation 18:21 is one example:“So shall Babylon, the great city, be thrown, with violence, never to be found again!
I, as a Christian, fully support your view on this.
We also, as Christians, fully support your view. No other army would be so sympathetic towards its enemy, and if those men had the chance they would kill Jews and Christians without any remorse. Their consciences are seared.
Amen! Totally agree. The God of Israel Himself calls on Israel to have “no pity” in dealing with proven enemies.
Those Christians today that criticize Israel are those who have never been in harms way and believe they will not have to go there, the idea of a pre-trib rapture is only 250 years old and doesn’t know anything about the refining fire we will all go through.