Despite public pronouncements that the USA stands with Israel in this war against Hamas, a rift is starting to appear. First of all, the USA wants to see a ceasefire, but Israel insists on no ceasefire unless the hostages taken by Hamas are released. Second, Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that when this conflict is over, Israel would continue to have “overall security responsibility” of Gaza, and for an “indefinite period” (ref. 1). The USA, for its part, opposes any Israeli “reoccupation”. President Joe Biden has said that it would be a “big mistake” for Israel to reoccupy Gaza (ref. 1). And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says there should be “no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza”, “no reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends”, and “no attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza” (ref. 1). Israel wants to prevent the inflow of rockets and arms into Gaza. That means a blockade of some kind. Israel also wants to be able to go in and out of Gaza when necessary (ref. 2). That essentially means no international peace keepers. Israel would rather not have political control of Gaza (ref. 2) but more or less the status quo except without Hamas. The USA, however, seems to be after something closer to a “two state solution”, which would mean an independent Palestine probably with its own armed forces.
The Bible is very clear about the future of Gaza. All of it will be for the people of “Judah”.
Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger. For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon…
Zephaniah 2:3-7
Because Gaza is to be for “dwellings” and for livestock farming, the suggestion from one Israeli minister that Gaza should be nuked, a quicker way to go about things, is also wrong (ref. 3).
Instead, what Israel is doing now – the demilitarisation of Gaza, the dismantling of Hamas and the rescuing of Israeli hostages – is about right. Whether it realises it or not, the state of Israel is making the south and the Negev area more secure, given what looms ahead: the beast with 7 heads and 10 horns, an Islamic caliphate.
At any rate, the Palestinians or Philistines were given a way out decades ago. The PLO went to Lebanon, at the time a Christian place, but then rather then renounce Islam, they transformed Lebanon and gave rise to Hezbollah. So now it is finished for them.
Now, what Zephaniah 2:5 and Ezekiel 25:17 mean is that on the day of the LORD – that particular day of God’s anger – it will be the angels of God and the saints of God that will utterly wipe out Gaza. Before then, the IDF will continue to kill a great many as needs be, but the remnant will be done supernaturally.
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
Ezekiel 25:15-17
This is because it is to be done in such a way that the people of Gaza will have no doubt that what is happening to them is of the LORD: “they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them”. Right now, the Palestinians, and also Muslims generally, remain in denial about the “god” Allah.
I should also say, 10000 dead (ref. 4) is only a start. In time, this war will spread throughout the world, and one side will kill the other and vice versa, and when it is all over, the dead will number more than hundreds of millions. It will be in the billions!
The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
Psalms 34:16
There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
Isaiah 48:22
Whereas in the days of Noah, God cleansed the world through water, this time around he will do so through war and conquest.
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:5-8
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luke 17:27
The dawn of a new world is coming, a world without evil.
References:
1. TOI (9 November 2023), “US opposes reoccupation of Gaza after Netanyahu talks of indefinite control”, timesofisrael.com
2. Sarah Ferguson (9 November 2023), “Benjamin Netanyahu adviser Mark Regev on Israel’s plan for military presence in post-war Gaza”, abc.net.au
3. Nicolas Camut (5 November 2023), “Israel minister suspended after calling nuking Gaza an option”, politico.eu
4. CNN (6 November 2023), “More than 10,000 killed in Gaza, Hamas-controlled health ministry says, as condemnation of Israel’s campaign grows”, cnn.com