ARTICLES

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

During the summer, the Jewish News Syndicate published an astonishing report: more than twenty nations have donated over two million tons of food, supplies, and medical aid to Gaza. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) confirmed that since October 7, 2023, Israel has facilitated 90,000 trucks and 10,000 pallets of humanitarian supplies. Yet, as the Jerusalem News Service reported, Hamas “looted much of the aid during that time and used it to entrench its position.”

One of the most remarkable facts is Israel’s continued commitment to feeding Gazans even while Hamas wages war against it. Israel has endured unimaginable pain, from the murder of more than a thousand IDF soldiers to the continued captivity and deaths of its hostages. Despite these national traumas, Israel is still accused by its detractors of “genocide” and deliberate starvation. These false and absurd accusations echo Hamas’s ongoing propaganda war designed to vilify the Jewish state.

Scrolling through headlines across the world, we might occasionally read that Hamas hijacked aid trucks, but Israel is usually the one blamed in the headlines and opening paragraphs. Now, with the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) headquartered in Kiryat Gat, Israel, the reality is being documented. CENTCOM is monitoring the so-called ceasefire, and just last weekend, a U.S. drone captured footage of Hamas once again violating it. The terrorists attacked the driver of a truck loaded with aid and then stole both the vehicle and its contents.

Israel has also released drone footage exposing the waste and corruption surrounding Gaza’s aid distribution. In one striking example, about 950 food trucks approved for entry through the Kerem Shalom crossing were shown sitting idle as their cargo rotted in the summer heat. Why? Because the United Nations, responsible for distributing the aid, refused to do so. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund even offered to distribute the food at no cost, but the UN declined. The same organization that repeatedly slanders Israel was starving the people it claimed to protect.

CENTCOM’s latest drone footage revealed another 600 trucks loaded with supplies entering Gaza. Yet many credible observers have documented Hamas’s pattern of stealing this aid, reselling it to desperate civilians at inflated prices, or hoarding it for their fighters. If famine truly exists in Gaza, it is Hamas—not Israel—that bears responsibility. The same terrorists who use civilians as human shields are now weaponizing food against their own people, all to manipulate global sympathy and shift blame to Israel.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro described the drone surveillance as “a very intrusive version of U.S. monitoring.” Intrusive? Hardly. The drones are vital truth-tellers, offering independent, real-time documentation. Their recordings may finally help expose the lies and hold the true perpetrators accountable.

While Israelis continue to face the trauma of war, loss, and prolonged captivity, the world’s media often fixates on Gaza while largely ignoring other humanitarian catastrophes. In several Central African nations, including Nigeria, mass killings, persecution, and food insecurity are rampant. Yet coverage remains minimal.

That changed in September when U.S. Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill highlighting the persecution of Nigerian Christians. The international spotlight is beginning to turn toward these atrocities. Since 2007, while the world has focused on Hamas, Islamic terror groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have murdered approximately 50,000 Nigerian Christians and destroyed more than 20,000 churches.

Open Doors, founded in 1955 by Brother Andrew, continues to support Christians in more than seventy nations, including Nigeria. They identify it as the global epicenter of Christian persecution. Survivors recount that when terrorists attack, they begin by shouting, “Allahu Akbar” (God is most great), followed by “We will destroy all Christians.” The chilling parallel to Hamas’s rallying cry, “From the river to the sea,” is unmistakable. Both call for the eradication of entire faith communities—one Christian, the other Jewish.

When I saw footage of Gazan men tearing open sacks of flour and scattering them, I could not help but think of Nigerian Christians who would treasure even a single bag of that flour to feed their starving families. The contrast could not be more heartbreaking.

Israel has endured more than two years of war, terrorism, and trauma. Yet, despite extraordinary victories achieved by Israel and its allies, the goal of radical Islamist movements remains the same: global domination and the reestablishment of a militant Islamic empire. Neither these groups nor their sponsors show any sign of repentance or restraint. Christians must stay alert, prayerful, and discerning as this ideology continues to spread across the globe.

Encouragingly, awareness is increasing. After President Trump announced on October 31 that if the Nigerian government fails to protect its Christian population, he will launch a strategy to rescue them, new hope began to rise. Persecuted believers urgently need both our prayers and tangible support. CBN’s Operation Blessing has served in Nigeria for decades, providing humanitarian aid and Christian programming. The ministry at opendoorsus.org is another excellent resource for advocacy and action.

As Christians, we are living in consequential times, yet we are not without faith and hope. Ephesians 6:13 reminds us to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.” As individuals, churches, and nations, we must ask Jesus, “What do You want me to do during these consequential times?”

Our CBN Israel team invites you to join us in prayer and to share reliable truth with others.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for the nation and people of Israel to experience deep and lasting healing from both national and personal traumas.
• Pray for freed hostages, their families, and the release of all remaining bodies.
• Pray for persecuted Christians in Nigeria and throughout Africa to receive relief, protection, and renewed hope in this difficult time.
• Pray for President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu to be guided by divine wisdom and protected with personal safety.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.