The sanctity of life justifies trading terrorists for hostages, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) President Yael Eckstein told Newsmax on Tuesday morning.
Reports overnight said Hamas had accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages. An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized.
"Wake Up America" co-host Marc Lotter asked Eckstein whether it makes sense to trade terrorists for hostages.
"Well, I think that this is what the entire war is about," Eckstein said. "It's about Israel that sanctifies life. That one life we look at as worth trading, even for terrorists with blood on their hand, because every life is an entire world to their families, to their parents, to their siblings.
"And the truth is, to all of us who sanctify life, we realize that those hostages who are right now in the dungeons of Gaza, being tortured and raped and abused, many of them already killed. We need to get them out at any price."
IFCJ is the leading non-profit building bridges between Christians and Jews, blessing Israel and the Jewish people around the world with humanitarian care and lifesaving aid.
Eckstein said the organization's mission has been "strengthened" during the Gaza war against Hamas.
"Our mission is to tell Israel and the Jewish people that you're not alone, that there are millions of Christians around the world who stand with you," she told Lotter. "And in this past year, where we saw a terrifying rise of antisemitism, from America to Europe to almost every single country around the world, for Israel and the Jewish people, that our very survival is threatened by seven different fronts who are attacking tiny Israel, all sponsored by Iran.
"It could feel so lonely. It can feel like the whole world has regressed to the time, more of the 1930s than 2020s. And so, the fellowship is there on the ground, telling Israel and the Jewish people through providing humanitarian aid. You're not alone.
"There are Christians around the world who are not only praying for you, but providing you with meals. And we've been able to distribute over 3 million meals through our soup kitchens alone in the past few months."
Eckstein added the bond between Israelis and Americans also has been strengthened.
"When I saw on New Year's that there were 15 innocent people killed [in New Orleans] from a man who stands for ISIS, waving an ISIS flag and driving into a celebration in America, it shocked me," she said. "And it hurt me to see that the words of the terrorists that they've pledged that they're going to get to American soil, that that's coming to fruition.
"So, we look at this as a holy mission, both providing food through the fellowship, providing shelter, but also fighting this war in the Middle East so it doesn't get to America."
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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