The temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was violated by the terror group and has now ended, but not before 75 Israeli and 24 foreign hostages were released by Hamas. There have been numerous important developments this week, so let’s get right to it.

#MeToo, Unless You’re a Jew

The short ceasefire that began last week and saw the release of dozens of hostages broke down shortly after Hamas violated the terms by refusing to release more hostages and attacking Israelis – including the murder of three Israelis in Jerusalem by a Hamas terrorist. Subsequently, the Israeli negotiating team left Qatar, and Israel’s ground operations in Gaza have resumed with more than 200 terrorist targets hit since the end of the pause in the fighting. As of this writing, Israel’s ground operation has moved south to the Hamas terrorist stronghold of Khan Yunis.

Among the most horrific of the atrocities committed against the Israelis by Hamas barbarians were acts of the most depraved sexual violence against women and girls. The silence from women’s rights groups and others who are consistently vocal about this most heinous of crimes has been deafening.

Many in the progressive community are perfectly happy looking away and dismissing the accounts of those who survived Hamas’s brutalization. This is perhaps best exemplified by Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA) heated exchange with CNN’s Dana Bash, during which Jayapal failed to condemn Hamas’s sexual violence and tried to refocus the conversation on Israel; this resulted in the veteran CNN reporter bluntly telling the antisemitic Congresswoman, “But you don’t see Israeli soldiers raping Palestinian women."

A number of elected officials, including Democrat Reps Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY), responded directly to Jayapal’s appalling comments. We are deeply grateful to all those of our elected officials who have displayed exceptional moral clarity by vigorously standing with Israel in numerous ways. For example, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has displayed the posters of kidnaped Israelis throughout his office and vowed to keep them up until all the hostages come home.

Clear-Eyed Moral Courage

For years, CUFI has worked to get the U.S. to stop funding the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) because it facilitates and participates in indoctrinating children into a hateful ideology of violence against Jews. Specifically, UNRWA textbooks have long documented an ideology of hate and violence, which has prolonged the conflict for generations. Further, the agency facilities are being used by Hamas’s military operations to house arms and stolen humanitarian resources.

Last week, Germany suspended all aid to UNRWA based on what the Israelis had shown the world about the UN organization to that  point.  Then over the weekend, Israeli forces found more UNRWA infrastructure being used to house Hamas’s weapons and reports emerged that a teacher working for the agency held an Israeli civilian hostage in the Gaza Strip.

CUFI here in the U.S. and CUFI U.K. released a statement Monday morning calling upon both Washington and London to follow Berlin’s lead and end all aid to this terrorist-supporting entity. And CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee had this to say about the matter:

CUFI applauds the clear-eyed moral courage of the German government to recognize that UNRWA helps Hamas maintain its grip over the Palestinian people, infect children with antisemitic lies, and divert resources toward building and maintaining the most significant terror infrastructure in the world. President Biden should follow Germany’s lead by ordering a suspension of U.S. taxpayer dollars to an organization that provides in-kind contributions to murderers and hostage takers. 

Begrudging Support 

Meanwhile in our nation’s capital, there is increased rhetoric from the Biden administration, most recently from Vice President Harris, expressing significant concern for Palestinian civilian casualties and begrudging support for Israel’s right to defend itself – while not stating the obvious, which is that Hamas and Hamas alone is responsible for what has transpired in Gaza.

It’s clear that many of President Biden’s staff and appointees have a deep enmity towards Israel. During the weeks and months ahead – as Israel methodically eradicates Hamas as a military entity – our job is to ensure that the warriors on the ground have the means and the tools to vanquish the terrorists on Israel’s doorstep. That means that we will continue to push for Israel to receive the $14.3 billion emergency military assistance package without any further delay.

Likewise, as the international organizations and the mainstream media increasingly ignore the 10/7 massacre, acting as if Israel’s war against Hamas happened in a vacuum (to borrow a phrase), our job is to stay informed and share what we learn in our churches, communities, online and with our elected leaders. And with your continued support, we at the Action Fund know that on all fronts, and in every battle, the forces of good will prevail.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team