Church of God News

NBC reported the following:

Outcry in Israel as Hamas releases video of emaciated hostage alongside starving Palestinian children

August 3, 2025

Outcry rang out in Israel over the weekend after Hamas released video appearing to show a visibly gaunt Israeli hostage alongside images of emaciated babies as international fury grows over the rising deaths of Palestinians from starvation under Israel’s offensive and crippling aid restrictions.

The video, which was undated and which NBC News is not able to independently verify, appears to show Evyatar David, who was one of around 250 people taken hostage during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

Standing in an apparent tunnel shirtless, David, who is 24, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents hostage families, appears markedly frail, his ribs and shoulder blades protruding through his skin.

The footage was juxtaposed with images of small emaciated children, their bones poking out from beneath their skin, as the number of children dying from starvation in Gaza under Israel’s offensive and aid restrictions continues to rise.

Nearly 170 people in Gaza — more than 90 of them children — have died from malnutrition since the war began, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave, with the death toll climbing swiftly in recent weeks. https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/outcry-israel-hamas-releases-video-emaciated-hostage-starving-palestin-rcna222718

August 3, 2025

After it became clear this past week that ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have totally collapsed once again, with little hope of getting the warring sides back to the negotiating table, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have released more proof of life videos showing they still have captives who are alive.

Hostage Evyatar David appeared very emaciated in a clip that his family approved for publication (in Israeli media) on Saturday, which his family says is evidence that he is being deliberately starved. …

Separately, days ago Isalmic Jihad published a video of hostage Rom Braslavski, who has been held just as long as David, showing him looking pale and extremely thin while addressing the camera in an unknown location in Gaza. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/living-skeleton-buried-alive-hamas-releases-images-hostages-tunnels

Hamas released two disturbing videos of 24‑year‑old hostage Evyatar David, kidnapped during the October 7 massacre from the Nova music festival, who has now been held in Gaza for 666 days. The Gaza-based terror group claimed that David’s emaciated condition was due to eating from the same food and drink as his captors.  But a moment captured in a new video released Saturday undercuts that claim: a captor hands David a can of food overflowing with nourishment, contrasting sharply with his visibly malnourished frame. 08/02/25 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1hspj2peg

August 3, 2025

After months of Israeli blockade and turmoil in the distribution of supplies, children in Gaza are suffering from malnutrition, aid workers and doctors say. The impact is seen most strongly in children with special needs and those who have been grievously wounded in Israeli bombardments. https://apnews.com/video/starvation-attacks-the-bodies-of-these-children-in-gaza-3599c6ff013d47668067ed9e68cadcc7

We should have compassion on those who are in Gaza as well as the Israeli hostages. Most of whom have faced hunger and fear issues. The people in Gaza are suffering. But yes, Hamas soldiers are not starving like children in Gaza are.

The first thing that the image of hostage Evyatar David brought to mind was that he looked a lot like a Holocaust survivor.

The hostages taken by Hamas have fared terribly. The people in Gaza have fared terribly.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

All, including Israel and Hamas should be heeding the words of the Bible–which has scriptures their religions are supposed to heed:

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, (Matthew 5:43-44)

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19-21)

Here is also something from the Quran:

Surah Al-Insan (76:8-9)

“And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive,
[Saying], ‘We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude.'”

Hostages are captives. Those faithful to the teachings of Islam are not supposed to be starving captives.

That said, one way for others to assist the suffering is to pray as Jesus’ instructed:

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.  (Matthew 6:9-10)

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,  (Matthew 6:10)

In addition to praying for others, supporting the work of proclaiming the good news of the coming Kingdom of God will bring the end of this suffering (cf. Matthew 24:14; Revelation 21:1-4).

Regarding compassion, consider also that Jesus taught:

30 … “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:30-37)

We should also have compassion on those in other areas of conflict around the world such as the Russia-Ukraine situation, Sudan, Yemen, the Congo, Nigeria, and Haiti. As well the persecuted, such as the Rohingy, Tibetans, and Uyghurs.

Related to compassion, the old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

Where does it come from, this capacity to share another’s grief or feel another’s pain? I remember hearing a sermon on that most famous or all compusion stories, the parable of the good Samaritan. What made the Samaritan respond when the other travelers who saw that crumpled figure on the road t0 Jericho simply walk by on the other side?

There were three character traits that made the good Samaritan the way he was, the minister pointed out. The first was empathy, the projection or one’s own consciouness into another being. When the Samaritan saw the battered victim lying there he didn’t merely observe him, he became a part of him. This identification was so strong that when he went to help the man, he was helping part of himself.

The second was courage. Those who walked by were afraid, afraid of anything strange, afraid of getting involved , afraid that the robbers might come back. The Samaritan had the courage to push those fears aside.

The third trait was the habit of helping. This was no isolated incident in the Samaritan’s life . Through the years be had trained himself to respond affirmatively t0 other’s needs. How? In the same way any or us can, not so much by heroic sacrifice. but by the endless repetition of small efforts.

By going the extra mile. By giving someone in trouble a hand- if you can. At work and in our neighborhood (dare I say even in our local church, maybe even in our own home?) arc broken hearts and lives, people suffering from deep-felt needs. We rub shoulders with hurting. lonely people daily. Do we practice Zechariah 7 :9 – 10?

Compassion – the word means “suffering wi1h” – is lacking in all of us. Lack or real compassion is dangerous to our spiritual health.

When were you last “moved with compassion? To find out if we lack compassion we might ask ourselves how we react when we hear that one or our friends or Christian brothers or sisters, young or old, is ill.

Is our attitude one of “so what”? Or are we moved with compassion to pray and even fast for that person’s recovery? When we hear of others in need because of disaster or misfortune, do we we say “well they deserve it.” God must be teaching them a lesson, or I don’t have time to bother with their problems, I have problems of my own?

And what about our enemies’! Do we have compassion on them and pray for them daily even though they continue to wrong us?

Remember, it was compassion that caused God to send Christ into our world. It was compassion that caused Christ to die for our sins. Significantly “bowels of mercies,” or compassion. is the first of the “things that are above” that Paul tells us to seek:. (Colossians 3:, 1,12).

From compassion flows kindness, lowliness, meekness, patience, forgiveness. These virtues are various expressions of love, which bind everything in perfect harmony (verse 14). (Faulkner D. Worldwide News, February 23, 1981)

Philadelphia means love of the brethren.

Like the Samaritan, we in the Continuing Church of God have a habit of helping.

We send much of the income we receive to the physically and spiritually hungry, including widows and orphans, in places like Africa and Haiti (see also the CCOG Donations page which documents that). We also have a mutually beneficial arrangement that helps orphans in Pakistan–though most of our funds support those associated with the household of faith.

The Apostle Paul wrote

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:6-9)

Do not be deceived. Do not be lukewarm. Some Christians think that since they/we cannot solve all the hunger and other problems, there is no point.

Yet, the Apostle Paul also wrote:

13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.  (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

Hence, we in the CCOG provide support, even while knowing that it will take the return of Jesus to fix what is wrong on this earth.

The Apostle James wrote:

27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, (James 1:27)

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.  (James 2:14-26)

Compassion is something we are to have and to act on–it is one of the works of real faith.

Pray, as Jesus said, for God’s Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10). Suffering for humanity can end.

Are you truly living as a Philadelphian Christian?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Why is there a Philadelphian remnant of the true Christian Church of God? Did the old Worldwide Church of God essentially predict a Philadelphian remnant? Is a Philadelphian remnant needed for end-time prophecies to be fulfilled? Here is a link to a related sermon: The Philadelphia Remnant.
What is a Philadelphian? Many claim to be part of the Philadelphia era of the Church, but is claiming enough? This article has biblical and historical evidence about who really are the Philadelphians.
The Philadelphia Remnant: It’s All About Love This is what CCOG teaches. It is important to remember.Two elated videos are available: Nairobi Conference: All About Love and CCOG: It’s All About Love.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to four related sermons:  The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui? Here is a link to a short animation: Which Church would Jesus Choose?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have. Here is a link to two related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan and Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan.