For the third consecutive day, Palestinian civilians in Gaza have come under fire while trying to receive humanitarian aid. But who is firing at them? Reports vary wildly, with mainstream outlets pointing the finger at Israel. Yet on-the-ground witnesses and IDF drone footage tell a different story.
CBN News turned to Yair Pinto of TBN Israel, who has been closely monitoring the situation. Pinto explained that while Israel has allowed “thousands of humanitarian aid trucks to enter from Israel into the Gaza Strip,” the problem lies in what happens after that.
“Hamas, the terrorists of Hamas, immediately took control of these humanitarian aid trucks that were funded by the United Nations and other international organizations in order to help the Palestinian people,” Pinto said. “Instead of giving this food, this flour, this water, medicine to the Palestinian people that actually need it, Hamas and the terrorist organizations basically stole it and sold it at high inflated prices.”
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
That income, he said, has allowed Hamas to “pay salaries,” “buy weapons,” and “control the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
In response, Israel halted unrestricted aid entry and coordinated with the U.S. and other international groups to create new “safe zones” where only civilians, not terrorists, can collect aid directly.
“In these safe zones, the Palestinians will come, show an ID saying, ‘We are not Hamas members. We want food,’” Pinto said. “They will get a box filled with food supplies that will last their entire family for 7 days.”
But Hamas has now resorted to open violence against its own people in an effort to keep the black-market aid trade alive.
“The IDF released drone footage of Hamas gunmen firing at the Palestinian crowds as they are going to these humanitarian zones,” Pinto reported. “Hamas wants to stop the Palestinians from receiving free humanitarian aid because they want to keep using them in order to gain money.”
Despite this, international media continue to accuse Israel of the violence.
“Why would Israel want to fire at Gaza civilians?” Pinto asked. “This is just the facts on the ground.”
He added that “every time Israel enters an area to fight the terrorist, they let the Palestinian civilian know that this is going to be a war zone… And what happens when the Palestinian people want to move to that area? Hamas terrorists keep firing mortars and AK-47 bullets and RPGs at their own people.”
Pinto noted that Hamas is “losing its grip on the Palestinian population” and cited a recent incident where “Palestinians from within the Gaza Strip [broke] into a Hamas storage facility that contained humanitarian aid that was stolen.”
He encouraged believers to intercede: “Pray for the Palestinian people to have the courage to stand up against the Hamas terrorists.”
As for how to navigate conflicting reports, Pinto emphasized the need for prayerful discernment.
“These days you can create any kind of video that you want… So I would say when you are praying for the peace of Jerusalem… ask God to really help you understand what really is happening,” he said.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
While Hamas operates without accountability, Pinto stressed that Israel does not.
“If something is out of order, people are held accountable. Even if it’s the IDF soldiers,” he said. “They go to jail… Their ranks are being torn away from them. This is the difference between a democratic state with a moral army and a terrorist group that is hiding behind its own civilians.”
For Christians, none of this should be surprising. The Bible has long prophesied that Israel will be the focal point of global conflict in the end times. Zechariah 12:3 warns, “All the nations of the earth will gather against it.”
As accusations mount against the Jewish state, believers must be equipped with truth, guided by Scripture, and unwavering in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
