Following a very cheerful experience packing food bags and ministering to a young Russian immigrant, Rina (our host) guided us around Sderot on Tuesday to see how and where Hamas entered the city, and the damage done, particularly in the center of the city. Again, it left us heartbroken and in tears, yet it was so important to see and understand the tragedy that took place on October 7, 2023.

Rina shared her own story with us, as she and her husband lived through that horrible day. They, as well as Pastor Michael Beener and his family, remained in Sderot for some days following the attack. However, Pastor Beener and his family had a harrowing experience as they went to a local retirement home to pick up his mother. Once they got her out and loaded into their already-packed mini-van full of people, an incoming missile hit her building. The hit might well have taken her life if she had not been taken out just moments before by her son.

Shrapnel from that missile also sideswiped their van. Had it hit full on, those in the van may have been endangered as well. Hearing first-hand experiences of that attack are gut-wrenching, and yet the miracles of God are abundant!

The city center is where all municipal buildings, a library, a home for Holocaust survivors, and many schools are located, and that is exactly the area of town targeted by Hamas. They entered from 3 directions and made their way to City Center with the express intent to overtake the police station as a show of force. That is exactly what they did. I will let photos tell the story…

(To enlarge the photos, right click on the photo and open in a new tab.)

The savagery of the attack is indescribable, and standing at that roundabout where terrorists actually entered the city left a sick feeling in my stomach. Evil left its mark, and it was as though I got a glimpse of demon’s hell. I was shaken by it.

The memorial also told the stories of dozens of heroes in Sderot that day, many simply going about life, then suddenly giving of themselves to save others. Here are some of the stories…

Further impacting our visit to the Police Memorial was the arrival of new IDF (Israel Defense Force…their military) recruits. As IDF soldiers are trained, they are taken to places of battle and tragedy to be reminded of Israel’s constant struggle as a nation, and to instill exactly what they are fighting for. A mostly-female unit arrived while we were there and hearing their commander (in Hebrew, of course) drill into them the idea of “Never Again,” was sobering at best and deeply moving.

Next, we drove only a short distance to an overlook into Gaza. From the lookout, we could see the skyline of Jabalia (refugee camp in Gaza), we could hear artillery fire in the distance, and we could see plumes of black smoke from IDF activity. Sderot is literally a stone’s throw from the border fence, so again, very sobering to consider the consequences of failed security on that day. Today, there are units of soldiers at every entrance to the city. Let’s peek into Gaza…

For those concerned about our near proximity to Gaza, the Israelis have cleared a security area several kilometers deep inside the Gaza border, and those areas are heavily patrolled by combat soldiers of the IDF. Also, though Hamas loves to make a spectacle of their “strength of power” during hostage exchanges, they are currently decimated. Though they fight against the IDF soldiers inside Gaza, they are currently without command-and-control leadership and without significant weaponry to do harm to Israel. The IDF continues to operate in Gaza to keep them suppressed for now.

If and when the IDF must leave the Gaza Strip, it will be a different story, but in the present situation, the Gaza border is no longer a danger. Israeli families are returning to their kibbutzim to begin cleanup and rebuilding, and will begin moving home by summertime.

Please continue to pray for Israel, particularly those returning home to ruins and disaster both around the Gaza border and up north. Israel is not going anywhere, and these people will once again thrive in their communities, but trauma is real and life is hard. Israel is still a nation in mourning and it will take time to return to normal life in their cities and kibbutzim.

Our ON MISSION with God trip has officially ended as I delivered Nancy, Nicole and Gina to the airport very early on Wednesday morning. I have made my way to visit my tour guide and good friend, Aly and her husband, and will remain in Israel a few more days. There is still much to share with you!

Finally, the Bibas family funerals took place on Wednesday morning. I’ll share more about that tomorrow. See you here!