I recently returned from spending more than two weeks in Israel. It was  life-changing to be there in a time of war and to see, hear and  experience for myself what the nation has gone through - and the  challenges it continues to face - since the horrific events of October  7, 2023. Most of all, it was inspiring to see the spirit of the people  and to know that in spite of everything, the people of Israel live! 

 

While there, I took part in a solidarity and fact-finding mission hosted by the National Religious Broadcasters, the world’s largest association of Christian communicators, and Israel365, an Israel-based organization that strengthens Israel by building  bridges between Jews, Christians and all who share faith-based values. During the mission, we had the privilege of meeting with the President  of Israel, various elected and appointed officials, government  spokespersons, survivors of the October 7th massacre, rescuers, those  who recovered the dead, family members of hostages, IDF soldiers, and  more. 

 

The breadth, depth and quality of information we received from  such a diversity of sources equipped and inspired us to bring our  first-hand testimonies to the world. In addition to so many significant meetings, we had the opportunity to  visit the car graveyard, where hundreds of cars piled high bear witness  to the extreme measures the terrorists took to utterly destroy everyone fleeing for their lives on October 7th. 

 

We also toured Kfar Aza, one of  the kibbutzim attacked on that horrible day, and are therefore witnesses  to the extent of the destruction at the hands of blood-thirsty enemies  who invaded Israel to rape, torture, mutilate, murder and destroy. Here are just a few pictures that document the destruction of cars and  homes, carried out for the purpose of murdering and desecrating the  bodies of innocent civilians who simply wanted to live in peace with the  very people who carried out this devastation.  

                                                                         

The  need for accurate information concerning what happened on October 7th,  as well as current issues in relation to the ongoing war between Hamas  and Israel, is more acute now than ever. This is because most of  mainstream media - which shapes the perceptions of far too many - is not  providing factual reports about the nature and motivation of the  terrorists who committed war crimes, what actually happened when Hamas  invaded Israel, or the necessary actions Israel must take to rescue  hostages and ensure that this terrorist organization is never again able  to do what it did on October 7th. Hamas' physical attack on Israel was  characterized by such atrocities that the witnesses, survivors and  rescuers are deeply traumatized, as is the nation as a whole. 

 

However,  Hamas' efforts to destroy the Jewish people go beyond the physical, as  it employs propaganda and outright lies to demonize and delegitimize  Israel's efforts to ensure the safety of its people. Two of the most prominent lies perpetrated by Hamas and faithfully reported by mainstream media are: 1) Israel is responsible for a high number of Gazan civilian casualties and 2) Israel has intentionally caused a famine and humanitarian crisis in Gaza Concerning the first false accusation: just recently, Hamas itself had  to admit that the number of civilians they claim have died in this  conflict was inflated by at least double the actual number. This is  because they have no supporting evidence for many of the deaths they  allege happened as a result of Israel's actions in Gaza. Furthermore,  the number of supposed civilian causalities is also inflated because the  majority of the civilians Hamas claims have been killed were not  civilians at all, but armed terrorists dressed as civilians. 

 

The truth is that the Israeli Defense Forces do everything they can to  prevent civilian casualties through targeted attacks on terrorist sites and by warning civilians to leave areas about to be destroyed. In  contrast, Hamas uses its own civilians as human shields to make it more  difficult for the IDF to target their sites because Hamas needs civilian  deaths to use in their propaganda war against Israel. The second lie perpetrated by Hamas - that Israel has intentionally  caused a famine and humanitarian crisis in Gaza - has been completely  disproved in recent weeks. The Famine Review Committee of the United Nations failed to find any evidence of a famine according to a new report  published on June 4, 2024. Not only could a famine not be found for the  time period preceding May 2024, but the report concludes  that "...the FRC is unable to endorse the IPC Phase 5 (Famine)  classification for the projection period..." (The projection period is  May 1–July 31, 2024.) In other words, the Famine Review Committee didn't  expect to find a famine in the months of May, June and July either!  This report is rather significant considering the UN consistently takes  positions that are critical of the Jewish State. The Famine Review Committee of the UN is not the only organization to  issue a report that exposes what is nothing more than a modern blood  libel against the Jewish people. A recent report from COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, not only  exposes the lies about a so-called humanitarian crisis in Gaza but  reveals the shortcomings of the UN agency responsible for delivering  aid.  

 

COGAT is the official Israeli body responsible for coordinating and  tracking aid entry into Gaza. As such, the unit records and publishes aid data on its website, which is collected by COGAT representatives at the  various crossings into Gaza and is communicated to the UN among other  bodies on a daily basis. In its report titled, "Discrepancies in UN Aid to Gaza Data,"  it states: " After a thorough review and analysis of the data collected  by COGAT and UNRWA – we have identified underreporting of over 8,000  trucks from the beginning of the war, with 4,880 ‘missing’ trucks in the  month of May alone." In other words, many thousands of entire trucks full of provisions that  entered Gaza were not reported by UNWRA, the UN agency on the ground!  

 

This huge discrepancy in the number of trucks of aid being delivered to  Gaza was then used by the UN, various nations of the world and the  mainstream media to falsely accuse Israel of causing mass starvation in  Gaza, when the reality is that Israel has consistently enabled the entry  of supplies into Gaza throughout the war. 

 

Unfortunately, reports that document what Israel has maintained all  along - that there is no famine in Gaza - do not fit into the anti-Israel narrative the mainstream media likes to promote. As a  result, neither of these reports have received the coverage they  deserve. In conclusion, Israel faces existential threats from physical enemies  intent on their destruction, as well as other dangers that result from  the propaganda war waged in the media. But in spite of it all, the  overriding message I have from my time in Israel is one of great hope.  

 

The Israeli people are strong, they are united in their understanding  that terrorists intent on destroying the Jewish State must themselves be  destroyed, and Israel will be victorious in the end! Blessings and shalom, Tricia Miller Director, CAMERA's Partnership of Christians and Jews

 

Dear Friends,

 

Am Yisrael Chai! The people of Israel live!

If you would like to hear a more in-depth report of my experience  in Israel during a time of war, as well as more details concerning the  issues of civilian casualties and the false allegation that Israel is  the cause of an alleged, but non-existent, famine in Gaza, please watch this 45-minute interview I did with Deborah Menelaws on Global Vision TV in Scotland soon after I returned.