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On the morning of October 7th, the terrorist organization, Hamas, staged a deadly surprise attack against Israel. They launched rockets into Israel and simultaneously infiltrated the border, murdering, raping, and kidnapping. Unimaginable horrors happened that day and have continued to happen in the terrorist tunnels under Gaza. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, succinctly described the situation the next day, saying, “We are at war.” In the wake of such violent hatred, what should we Christians do? When Israel faces dire straits such as these, there are three basic responses: enjoyment, indifference, and engagement. Though it may seem unthinkable that I listed enjoyment as an option, scripture clearly reveals that at times of Israel’s distress, there are nations and people who actually enjoy seeing her writhe

Why the conflict in Israel isn’t just local and why Christians need to understand who’s involved. Many Christians want to understand what’s really going on in the Middle East beyond headlines and surface-level takes. But the conflict isn’t just about land. It’s about ideology, power, and networks of groups whose goals are not peace or coexistence, but domination and destruction. To understand what’s happening, we need to understand the players. This isn’t an exhaustive breakdown. But if you’ve heard names like Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Houthis and aren’t sure who they are or what they want, here’s what you need to know. Hamas (Gaza) Hamas is a violent Sunni Muslim group that controls the Gaza Strip. It was started in 1987 during the First Intifada,