Statement on Operation Breaking Dawn
The enemies of Israel never give rest to their efforts to “cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more” (Psa. 83:4). The weekend of August 5–7, 2022 saw the latest attack on Israel, as 1,100 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza by the lesser known Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Make no mistake, while Hamas controls Gaza, PIJ, a proxy of Iran, has an arsenal of 6,000–8,000 rockets, mortars, and anti-tank guided missiles in Gaza. The conflict with Israel began when Israel discovered PIJ’s plans to launch attacks against Israeli communities. Israel interceded to thwart the attacks, and PIJ responded with a barrage of missiles for three days that ended with a ceasefire.
During the conflict, Israel struck decisively in a campaign called Operation Breaking Dawn, destroying key PIJ positions in Gaza and eliminating their top military leaders. PIJ suffered significant losses while Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted missiles and protected Israelis from serious injuries. This battle could have been much worse if Hamas had joined the fight, but they chose to fight another day instead of jumping into the fray.
For the three days of conflict, Israelis living within range of the missiles spent their time living in bomb shelters, many of them provided through the generous donations of Christian friends of Israel. Since 2012, with your gifts we have placed 53 shelters in the Israeli communities around Gaza to protect Jewish people from missiles.
The psalmist cried out to God, “Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God!” (v. 1). Christian prayer and financial support for Israel are two actions the Lord blesses and uses to help Israel.
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry was founded in 1938 by Christians to provide relief to Jewish people facing persecution. Today we continue those efforts to stand with Israel and the Jewish people against those who hate God’s Chosen Ones. God can use you to show Israel that He is not being silent or still while their enemies conspire against them.
You can be God’s instrument to provide shelter from the violent terrorism that continues to plague Israel with a gift toward the cost of a bomb shelter. With your financial support, more shelters will be placed to protect people from the hatred of those who seek to destroy Israel.
Jim Showers, DMin
Executive Director/President
