International Rules of War

The world needs to recognize that Islamic terrorists, like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, do not fight by the same internationally recognized rules of war. Israel is fully committed to these rules of war. How odd that Israel is always accused of “war crimes,” while their Islamic opponents are not held to the same standard. This demonstrates that people’s hatred of Israel blinds them from the truth and factual evidence. Their accusations against Israel are very prejudiced. They would never hold another country to the same standards as those demanded of Israel. This is why Israel is told by many in the world to not defend itself against an existential threat.

The following article has been copied from The Middle East Forum, October 27, 2023.

“‘International Humanitarian Law’ (IHL). The core of IHL is the Geneva Conventions, a set of rules for war negotiated after WWII. IHL attempts to achieve a balance between the necessity of defeating an opponent by winning the war on the one hand, and limiting needless suffering on the other. IHL is grounded in Western (i.e. Judaeo-Christian) understandings of the concept of a “just war.”

IHL rules rely on a fundamental distinction between civilians and combatants. They require that military action should always be directed against combatants, never against civilians; civilians should always refrain from fighting; and combatants should act in a way which minimizes harm to civilians, for example, by not using civilians as human shields, and when attacking military targets, doing this in a way which minimizes disproportionate civilian casualties.

IHL rules also stipulate that if a combatant is taken prisoner, he (or she) cannot be killed for being a combatant, but should be treated humanely, in a way which is consistent with rights determined by IHL.

Let’s consider an example. If Israel wishes to kill a Hamas military leader using an airstrike, it must first weigh up the likely impact on civilians, go about it in a way which minimizes the impact, and refrain from proceeding if civilian casualties will be disproportionate to the military advantage gained.

If one side is trying to follow IHL rules while the other side rejects these same rules, the side which rejects the rules will have an advantage in battle. It is much easier to defeat your enemy if you don’t have to count the civilian cost. …

In reality, in all the wars in the world over the past century, laws of war have been honored more in the breach than in the observance. For example, during World War II both UK and US air forces carried out extensive incendiary bombing raids targeting urban areas of Germany and Japan. These attacks killed hundreds of thousands of civilians. The allies did this because they believed it would help them win.

It is important to grasp that Hamas completely rejects the IHL framework. More than this, it knows how to exploit Israel’s commitment to follow such rules. But this does not mean Hamas is without rules: its commitment to Islam implies that it is bound to follow Islam’s rules of war, but these are completely different from IHL.

A key point of difference is that the principal distinction Islamic rules of war make is not between combatants and non-combatants, but between adult men on the one hand, and women and children on the other. In contrast to IHL rules, Islamic law allows any men – combatants or not – who are taken prisoner to be killed, and it considers enemy prisoners, whether men, women or children, to be slaves who can be bought and sold. (ISIS proudly did this with its prisoners in Iraq and Syria.) Islamic law also allows the rape of captive females by their owners, and enslaved children can be kept and be brought up as Muslims. (A source of soldiers for Islam in Islamic history has been enslaved boys, taken captive, then forcibly converted, and raised to be fighters.)

In contrast to IHL rules, Islamic law allows any men – combatants or not – who are taken prisoner to be killed, and it considers enemy prisoners, whether men, women or children, to be slaves who can be bought and sold.

Furthermore, Islamic military strategy has always approved of taking hostages and using them as bargaining chips: threatening to kill them, offering to swap them for the other sides’ captives, or exchanging them for ransom to fund the jihad. All of this is regulated by the sharia (Islamic law).

Consider this situation. Two men are involved in a fire fight, a jihadi and an infidel who has been taught to follow IHL rules. The jihadi knows that if he is wounded or thinks he is losing, all he has to do is throw down his weapon and come out with his hands up. The infidel’s IHL rules of engagement mean he must take the jihadi prisoner without harming him further. But if the infidel surrenders, sharia rules of engagement will permit the jihadi to shoot him dead on the spot.

When one side is fighting by IHL rules, and the other side is fighting a genocidal war by sharia rules, the result is an asymmetrical struggle, with one side having many options which are not available to the other. One side can kill, enslave, and rape while the other side is constrained to treat captives humanely. One side can use terror attacks on civilians while the other side should only deliberately target combatants.

Of course Hamas is fully aware of the limitations imposed upon the IDF by its rules of engagement. Indeed, Hamas leaders regard fighting by IHL rules as a sign of weakness.

Add to this inequality the fact that the war with Hamas is not a struggle over land, but a struggle for survival against a genocidal foe. If Hamas laid down its weapons, it would usher in peace. If Israelis laid down their weapons, a great massacre of Jews would result.”

Palestinians and Hamas are One and the Same

Those who live in the Middle East and understand the daily developments have a clear grasp of what is happening. Bassam Tawil, a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East, writing for Gatestone Institute comments,

“There is absolutely no difference between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas when it comes to spreading hate against Israel and inciting the murder of Jews. Pictured: PA President Mahmoud Abbas said in 2015 that the Palestinians will not allow Jews “with their filthy feet to defile our Al-Aqsa Mosque,” and “We bless every drop of blood that has been spilled for Jerusalem, which is clean and pure blood, blood spilled for Allah…” (Image source: Palestinian Media Watch video screenshot)

“While many have condemned the Iran-backed Hamas terror group for the October 7 massacre that killed 1,400 Israelis and wounded at least 5,400 others, the fact is that the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its leaders also bear responsibility for the carnage. The PA’s rhetoric and actions actively paved the way for the hell that Hamas unleashed on Israel.

“There is absolutely no difference between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas when it comes to spreading hate against Israel and inciting the murder of Jews. It has also been proven that each time Israel cedes land or makes gestures to the PA or Hamas, they respond by increasing terror attacks against Jews. The areas controlled by the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have become havens for countless terror groups” (Gatestone Institute, October 31, 2023).

As Israel fights for its survival against Hamas, the world needs to wake up to the reality that forcing Israel to surrender the West Bank [biblical Judea and Samaria] for the creation of a Palestinian State is the same as creating another Hamas to live beside of Israel. Furthermore, the Bible declares that the West Bank is the heartland of the Promised Land. Those who promote a Palestinian State and want to remove Jews from this area are placing themselves in conflict with Almighty God!

Jihad Drugs

We now know that many of the Hamas terrorists that invaded Israel on October 7th were high on a very powerful drug call Heptagon. This illegal drug in essence induces a demonic brutality that gives the addict boldness, energy, and great strength. It causes a psychotic reaction in a person that makes them wild with no fear of death. In the Middle East, it is called the “Jihad drug.” ISIS terrorists used this drug several years ago before they carried out their barbaric acts.

i24 News from Israel reports, “Heptagon is known for its ability to provide extended periods of alertness, a quality that may have been exploited by the terrorists during their brutal attacks. The production of this drug is primarily centered in Lebanon and Syria. Originally, it was used as a medication to treat depression and attention disorders, as it induces a sense of euphoria and suppresses fear. The drug has earned various nicknames in the region, including “the drug of Jihad,” “the drug of ISIS,” and “the drug of the poor” (i24news, October 20, 2023).

According to the Bible, the followers of the Antichrist, who will be just like ISIS and Hamas, will use drugs. Revelation 9:21 says, “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication [illicit sexual activity], nor or their thefts.” The Greek word that is translated as “sorceries” is pharmakia. This is the word from which we get the English word pharmacy. In Revelation 9:21 it points to illegal drugs. In ancient times, mind-altering drugs were always associated with witchcraft and sorcery. Those who took these drugs were inducing themselves into a demonic state, while submitting themselves to demons to control their mind and body.

As in the days of Noah, our world is descending into an evil lifestyle of rebellion, violence, sexual immorality, and brutality. Not only are people rejecting God, but they are openly joining the dark side and inviting demonic oppression and possession. It is apparent that our world is being rapidly prepared by Satan and his demons for their final rebellion against the God of Israel during the Tribulation Period.

That they May Know that the Lord God is the One and Only True God

As Israel has begun their ground invasion of Gaza, they are encountering many horrific obstacles. The Israeli troops are forced to fight Hamas on their own turf. The challenge of gun battles in the congested alleys and streets of Gaza, and the vast terrorist tunnels under Gaza (see photo), are a great challenge. Mines and booby traps are in place to kill many Israeli troops. The IDF will have a difficult time instantly identifying their targets as the civilians in Gaza will be used as shields to protect the Hamas terrorists.

Please join me in prayer that the Lord would reveal His presence and power to the IDF forces in Gaza. Also, please join me in praying that the Lord will be greatly glorified by the outcome of this war. Let us claim the promise that the Lord has given to His chosen people in Isaiah 41:8-12, “But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.”

Let us pray that the nations will see the hand of God in this war. May they see and hear about His defense of His people, and His eternal plan for Israel’s ultimate redemption. Many times, in the past, the Jewish people faced an existential threat as they do at this present hour. Pray that their leaders and people will pray the prayer of Israel’s King Hezekiah as he called out to God to destroy the powerful Assyrian army that was surrounding Jerusalem to annihilate the people and to destroy the city and temple. The Assyrian army, like Hamas, was a barbaric enemy. They slaughtered their enemies and decapitated them, piling up their skulls in a heap at the city gate. Listen to what Hezekiah asked God to do, “Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only” (2 Kings 19:19). God answered his prayer. The night before the Assyrians were to attack, the angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus) went throughout the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 warriors during the night. The surviving remnant packed up and quietly went home to Assyria.

Speaking of Israel, God has declared, “This people have I formed for myself: they shall show forth my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). With the eyes of the entire world upon Israel in Gaza, may He display His glory for all to see!

The Prelude to the Tribulation Period

As you examine the Scriptures and read about the conditions that will prevail during the Tribulation Period, it is obvious that we are witnessing the unique prelude to this deadly and dangerous time. I believe that some day we will look back and see the significance of the events that transpired in Israel with Hamas’ invasion of Israel. The events that took place in Israel on that fateful day represent the very nature of the events that will transpire for the duration of the seven-year Tribulation. The well-trained and purposefully orchestrated violence, murderous and brutal killing of innocent Israelis is an example of the actions and attitudes that will prevail for seven years in the army of the Antichrist.

At the very beginning of the Tribulation, the armies of the Antichrist will go forth “conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6:2). They will kill people with a knife-like sword (Revelation 6:4) and behead their enemies (Revelation 20:4). They will especially attack believers in Jesus, (Revelation 17:6) and Jews (Matthew 24:9). They will rape (Zechariah 14:2) and pillage the land and destroy cities and villages (Isaiah 14:17). They will kill Jewish children and rejoice while they commit such heinous crimes (Joel 3:3). Their trail of blood will decimate one-fourth of the global population near the beginning of the Tribulation. They will share presents and candy as they celebrate dead Jews they have killed and left to rot in the sun (Revelation 11:7, 10).

It has been startling to see the number of people around the world, and especially here in the U.S., that support and praise Hamas, rather respect and have empathy for the innocent Jewish victims of Hamas’ inhuman slaughter of Jewish babies, children, and the elderly. These same people will also worship the murderous and lawless Antichrist. They will love him and bow before him and worship him as a god (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

They will be drawn to this man because he is lawless and defiant. He hates God and shouts out blasphemous lies about God (Revelation 13:6). The world at the end will be against the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the commandments of God (Psalm 2:1-3). The Antichrist will hate Israel and with the aid of demons, direct a global war against the Jewish nation (Revelation 16:13-14, 16). This is the kind of leader the woke and wicked people of this generation are clamoring for!

The world has begun its march to Armageddon. At the front of this battle will be the Islamic nations that hate the God of the Bible and hate Israel (Psalm 83:1-8). The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus, is about to roar out His holy wrathful commandments against all the Gentile nations. Before that begins, He will call His bride, the true church, home to heaven to live with Him in His Father’s House (John 14:2-3).

My friend, it is much later than we think! We are almost home!

Be ready for the shout that will take us out!