Discerning Fact, Fiction, and Deception
Have you ever wondered…
How a once-starving Austrian artist was able to convince the country that birthed the sixteenth-century Reformation to murder six million Jewish people in the twentieth century?
Why today American college campuses and global capitals are filled with continuing protests against Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza?[1]
Why Jewish people increasingly fear to identify as such in Europe and North America?
How it could be possible that ALL nations will unite together in warfare against Jerusalem (as Zechariah 12 foretells)?
Following the horrors of the Holocaust of the mid-twentieth century, most people agreed “never again” would such occur. But wars, rumors of war, and atrocities abound. The massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023[2] was a horrific reminder that “never again is now.”
The ability to move masses of people to do the otherwise unthinkable requires deep deception on the individual level. From a biblical viewpoint, this begins when we “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” by denying revealed truth (Romans 1:18-20). By refusing to honor God, our reasoning becomes futile and, claiming to be wise, we become fools (vs. 21-22). If we continue down this path of rejecting the One who is Truth, a “depraved mind” results (vs. 28).
Beyond merely being gullible, when we abandon truth, we fall easy prey to deception of the worst kind. Liars, cheats, and manipulators have been part of the human experience since the tempter showed up in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Satan baited the hook with some goodlooking fruit and a tidbit of truth (“you will be like God” knowing good and evil) to conceal the wicked deception (“you won’t really die”).
How many times am I tempted to click on a “free offer” only to find a hidden catch? Who has not received a phishing message from a hacker seeking credit card account info? How many have been suckered into sending money or having their bank account drained? (If that isn’t your experience, great – but likely you know someone who has been stung).
It’s difficult enough to navigate the complexities of life in the 21st century without the added layer of advancing technology. “Seeing is believing” was no longer true when photo editing software made it possible to alter images. Now AI creates very realistic images of just about anything we can imagine. Videos feature familiar faces speaking in their familiar voices – but saying things contrary to what those individuals actually would endorse.
Once journalism was a highly respected profession. We expected the news we received in print or broadcast on radio or television would be an accurate, factual presentation of reality. Publishing incorrect information led to a swift retraction issued with both a correction and statement of regret for the error. Journalists lost employment when caught fabricating news stories.[3]
Today, the primary source of information for many is social media which operates with no pretense of journalistic integrity. News outlets commonly filter content (what is featured and what is omitted) and present it with little attempt to disguise bias.[4] Independent journalism under Hamas is nonexistent,[5] making it all the harder to assess what is really going on in Gaza.
Attempts to sway public opinion for personal or political gain are found in the Old Testament.[6] But modern technology increasingly “amps up” the challenge for discerning truth.
A primary contemporary “battleground for truth” is the war in Gaza. If on October 6, 2023, Israel was viewed as a colonizing state oppressing the poor Palestinians whose land was stolen by the Jews, then the horrors of October 7 were readily minimized, justified, or denied. Or, in Mahmoud Khalil’s estimation, “unavoidable.”[7]
But even those who have been sympathetic toward Israel are being challenged by the onslaught of charges of genocide and the photos of starving children in Gaza. Fair-minded people might ask, “Could so many news outlets really be that biased? Could the United Nations really not be an honest broker in Gaza?”
Sadly, when it comes to Israel, the answer is “yes.”[8] Instances of false/skewed reporting proliferate. Here are two prime examples:
CASUALTY NUMBERS: the numbers killed (over 60,000 by August 2025) reported by Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry are published without verification (and deaths from natural causes are included).[9]
Every soul lost is a tragedy, including combatants. But warfare conducted in dense urban areas[10] is most dangerous for civilians.[11] Hamas is a militia, not an organized army. Separating warfighters from civilians in the heat of battle is challenging.[12] Is a teenager with a weapon a civilian?[13]
Whereas Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran indiscriminately or intentionally target Israeli civilians with rockets and missiles, Israel seeks to warn Gazans to evacuate before air strikes are carried out.[14] (And where Israel requires accessible bomb shelters for its population, Hamas uses women and children as shields and martyrs for the cause – though they have miles of underground tunnels which shelter their fighters.)
GENOCIDE: the widely echoed accusation is that Israel is starving Gazans. Human Rights Watch charges Israel with using starvation as a weapon of war.[15]
It’s been said that if genocide is Israel’s goal, they are failing miserably. When Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the Palestinian population was 1.3 million.[16] Today it exceeds 2.1 million.[17]
Fundraisers know photos of abused animals and starving children touch the heartstrings of every caring viewer. Those engaged in “psyops”[18] do as well. Google “Anas Bayed Fteiha” and find the Bild article exposing a photographer who stages photos of thin Gazan children holding empty pots.[19] Just off camera are their well-fed parents. In a well-documented instance, a child suffering from Cystic Fibrosis is depicted as emaciated from starvation.[20] In other examples, photos of ill children from other countries are reposted as starving Gazans.[21]
Are there hungry Gazans? Without question. There are well-supplied Gazans, as well. Israel has allowed trucks laden with food and medical supplies to enter Gaza.[22] The problem has been distribution in an active war zone. Over 85% of the trucks have been hijacked before reaching distribution points; much is reported to be stockpiled or sold at a premium to hungry Gazans.[23]
Groups seeking to distribute the food ceased doing so when they were attacked by Hamas. Tragically, seven World Central Kitchen workers were killed in a mistaken Israeli airstrike in 2024.[24] More recently, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, with joint U.S.-Israel backing, has increased distribution of desperately needed supplies.[25] Of course, Hamas views these efforts as a threat to their controlling food and medicine to maintain domination over the populace.
Where else in history do we find a nation at war feeding the families of those who attacked them? Israel is determined to defeat Hamas and retrieve the remaining hostages, not starve Gazans.
As of this writing, Israel’s leaders have determined that further negotiations with Hamas are futile. The jihadist terror regime proclaims it will not return the hostages unless Israel withdraws its forces completely, allows Hamas to remain in power, and enables the rebuilding of the devastation resulting from the IDF’s response to the October 7 massacre.
Israel’s continued efforts to rescue the captives and eradicate the hostile regime will mean more death and devastation will result. Everyone suffers. Everyone loses. This is the price paid when satanic deception spirals down to bitter enmity and atrocities.
As further evidence of the “up is down and down is up” world in which we live, key Arab states (Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia) publicly call for Hamas to disarm and cede power in Gaza.[26] At the same time, and while Hamas still holds close to fifty Israeli hostages,[27] Western nations are lining up to recognize Palestinian statehood at the September meeting of the United Nations.[28]
Such recognition would be a macabre reward for the horrors inflicted on October 7 and the subsequent refusal to return the captives. And how a State of Palestine would be constituted given the internal support for Hamas and antipathy toward the Palestinian Authority[29] is a knotty problem no one has been able to untangle.
Western Europe’s unwillingness or inability to side with Israel doubtless is influenced by the significant number of refugees/asylum seekers from Muslim countries since 2000. [NOTE: These are estimates synthesized from UNHCR reports, Eurostat asylum data, and national government statistics spanning 2000–2025. Numbers do not reflect the already-settled population, only new immigrants. And it begs the question, why are Gazans not being welcomed to immigrate to countries which loudly protest in support of their cause?]
European Country / Approximate Number of Refugees from Muslim-majority Countries / Notes / Key Origins
(1) Germany ~1,800,000 Largest share of Syrian (~1M), Afghan, Iraqi, Turkish refugees
(2) United Kingdom ~700,000 Significant Pakistani, Somali, Syrian, Iraqi, Iranian refugees
(3) France ~600,000 Large Algerian, Moroccan, Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan populations
(4) Sweden ~400,000 Syrian, Somali, Iranian, Afghan refugees
(5) Italy ~350,000 Egyptian, Sudanese, Syrian, Somali refugees
(6) Netherlands ~300,000 Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi, Turkish refugees
(7) Austria ~180,000 Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi refugees
(8) Belgium ~150,000 Moroccan, Syrian, Iraqi refugees
(9) Denmark ~100,000 Syrian, Somali, Iraqi refugees
(10) Spain ~80,000 Moroccan, Syrian, Iraqi refugees
(11) Norway ~70,000 Somali, Syrian, Afghan refugees
(12) Finland ~40,000 Somali, Iraqi, Syrian refugees
While the majority of Muslim immigrants seek to integrate into the host country, Western nations with massive influxes of Muslims are waking up to the impact of radical Islamists sowing seeds of disruption. Uninterested in adopting the culture and values of countries that welcomed them,[30] some trumpet the demise of weak western democracies and actively seek to displace them with Islamic sharia rule.[31] Beyond social disruption, Jihadi terror in the European Union is an ongoing threat (24 attacks, 289 arrests in 2024).[32] [33]
While we may wonder about the timing and implementation of Zechariah 12’s fulfillment, we don’t need to wonder about the spirit that will animate the nations of the world to unite in attacking Jerusalem. The antichrist spirit that motivates the rising surge of antisemitism is already clearly evident.
At Life in Messiah, we often say “Whatever God especially loves, Satan especially hates.” God set His love upon Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). He declares His love and covenant faithfulness to be everlasting (Jeremiah 31). And as Paul argues in Romans 11, “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” God has not cast away the Jewish people.
Half a century before the modern state of Israel was established, our founder, William E. Blackstone, labored diligently to see that dream become a reality. As a “biblical Zionist,”[34] he understood the title deed to the Land was unconditionally given by God to Abram/Abraham in Genesis 15. That covenant was passed down through Isaac and Jacob, whom God named Israel.
Toward the end of his 12-decade-long life, Moses warned Israel of the consequences of disobedience (including being exiled from the land). But he also noted God’s sure promise of the chosen nation’s spiritual renewal and physical restoration to the Land (Deuteronomy 26–31).
We live in the “already but not yet” stage of history. Israel is back in the land, but the majority of Jewish people still reside in the diaspora. Likely the global surge of antisemitism will propel yet greater numbers to make aliyah to Israel.
We don’t have to wonder about the end of the story; God has revealed the final chapters in His Word. Until that day when the Kingdom of true righteousness and peace is established, we have the privilege and responsibility of pointing people to the only hope for this world and the next.
May we be motivated to share the gospel which is the power of God for salvation – especially for the Jewish people to whom it was first given, and also to the Gentiles whom God included in His blessing to Abram in Genesis 12. May the Spirit remove the spiritual blinders and deception from the eyes of many that they may receive the One who is “the way, the truth, and the life” – Yeshua (Jesus).
Written by Wes, Life in Messiah Global Ambassador
How do you stay informed about what is happening in our world in light of God’s Word?
How is the gospel helping you to love those who are different from you (including those at enmity to the gospel)?
What action would the Lord have you take today to demonstrate His love to someone who doesn’t yet know Jesus?
Endnotes:
[1] Actual starvation in Sudan/South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali, as well as targeted ethnic and religious mass murders (including of Christians) occurring in Burkina Faso, Darfur, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Syria, gain little attention – and no protests.
[2] Life in Messiah’s first feature-length video, “Shadows of October” (premiering October 2025) documents the aftermath of that evil wave of terror.
[3] https://www.politico.com/story/2012/07/10-journos-caught-fabricating-079221.
[4] Anatoly “Natan” Sharansky, the noted former Russian “refusenik,” was released from prison in 1986. A few years later he told the story of calling a Jewish friend whose article in a national U.S. publication contained harshly negative statements about Israel. “I’m sorry the editors changed your article so badly,” said Sharansky.
“They didn’t change it. That’s what I wrote.”
“Why would you write things you know are not true?”
“If I wrote the truth, they wouldn’t publish it.”
[5] Palestinian journalist Omar abd Rabou on Telegram, August 8, 2025: “Hamas has forced me to stop practicing journalism and writing – under threats and brutal torture. This is why I don’t post on social media. It’s devastating to have my freedom taken away. But living in Gaza means living under Hamas control.” See also https://jewishonliner.org/p/hamas-attacks-palestinian-journalist?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
[6] As one biblical example of “fake news,” when the Jewish remnant returned from Babylonian exile and began reconstructing the wall, Sanballat spread the false report that Nehemiah was rebelling against the Persian king Cyrus who had approved the project (Nehemiah 6:5-8).
[7] https://ijr.com/mahmoud-khalil-says-october-7-was-unavoidable-moment-in-the-palestinian-struggle/.
[8] UN Relief staff involved in October 7 terror: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-hamas-unrwa-un-staff-intelligence-dossier-oct-7-terror-attack/. 10% of UNRWA staff members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad: https://unwatch.org/evidence-of-unrwa-aid-to-hamas-on-and-after-october-7th/.
[9] For a thoughtful monograph on the challenges of tracking Gazan casualties, see https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/HJS-Hamas-Casualty-Reports-Report-WEB-correct.pdf. Here are two quotes: “The Hamas Government Media Office (GMO) curated the data to spin media-ready versions that inflated women’s and children’s deaths to levels that gave the deceptive impression of indiscriminate Israeli attacks on women and children.” “Despite being the best-available data, they are deeply unreliable in many ways. Nevertheless, they have been widely accepted in parts of the world to support allegations of genocide by Israel, and thereby are a major strategic victory of Hamas’s wartime information effort.”
[10] Gaza’s population of 2.1 million lives within 365 square kilometers. For perspective on density, see https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/gaza-the-most-densely-populated-area-of-the-world/.
[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualty_ratio.
[12] The IDF mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages who had escaped their captors in Gaza: https://abcnews.go.com/International/3-israeli-hostages-killed-idf-troops-unbearable-tragedy/story?id=105714690.
[13] E.g., Loay Husam Mohammad Aql, age 17, killed on October 7, 2023 (Gaza MoH Casualty ID 422592006),
was a member of the Omar Al-Qassem Forces: https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/60953.
[14] “Roof knocking” warns inhabitants to leave building before strike: https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/the-story-of-idfs-innovative-tactic-to-avoid-civilian-casualties-in-gaza-663170. Neighborhood evacuated before IDF clears out terror strongholds: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-issues-evacuation-warning-for-gaza-city-after-rockets-fired-from-area/. Entire Gaza City population to relocate: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/israel-gaza-evacuation-deadline-israel-looks-to-destroy-hamas-secure-hostages-heres-complete-plan/articleshow/123196613.cms.
[15] https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/israel-starvation-used-weapon-war-gaza.
[16] https://allcountries.org/wfb2005/gaza_strip/gaza_strip_people.html.
[17] https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/gaza-strip/#people-and-society.
[18] “psyop (noun): a military operation usually aimed at influencing the enemy's state of mind through noncombative means (such as distribution of leaflets)”: www.merriam-webster.com.
[19] https://www.facebook.com/HonestReporting/posts/the-largest-newspaper-in-germany-bild-just-revealed-that-gazan-photojournalist-a/1192939192870259/.
[20]14-year-old Palestinian Abdul Qader al-Fayoumi suffered from a genetic neurological disorder and was treated in Israel in 2018: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-says-another-starving-gazan-in-viral-image-actually-suffers-genetic-disorder-in-fresh-debunk/.
[21] A Facebook photo of a neonatal infant, wrongly attributed to be a starving Gazan, had over a million views: https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/60926.
[22] https://www.ochaopt.org/data/crossings.
[23] https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sk1kyrrlge.
[24] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/central-world-kitchen-aid-workers-killed-airstrike-gaza/.
[25] https://ghf.org/historic-milestone-100-million-meals/.
[26] https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250729-qatar-saudi-egypt-join-call-for-hamas-to-disarm-give-up-gaza-rule?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
[27] Only Hamas knows for sure, but Israel believes fewer than 25 of the remaining hostages are alive: https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-says-21-hostages-are-definitely-alive-but-there-is-doubt-about-3-others/.
[28] Australia, Canada, France, Malta, and the UK have announced their intention to vote for Palestinian statehood; Armenia, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain did so last year: https://time.com/7308777/palestinian-statehood-countries-recognize-map-australia-momentum-israel-hamas-gaza/.
[29] https://www.timesofisrael.com/poll-support-for-hamas-on-the-rise-among-palestinians-now-double-fatahs.
[30] The clash of cultures and rising rejection of Muslims stems from much of Europe’s acceptance of typical liberal values (e.g., LGBTQ rights) which are rejected in Islam: https://ces.fas.harvard.edu/news/2025/02/anti-muslim-bias-crosses-political-spectrum. As an example of conservative nationalism, in response to the Muslim influx, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán insists Hungary must remain a “Christian country”: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/02/integrate-europe-muslims-islamophobic-west.
[31] Anjem Choudry is jailed for life in the UK: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3geqp8vx08o. See also https://www.newsweek.com/not-all-muslims-are-same-radical-islamism-us-must-stopped-opinion-2069193.
[32] See European Union’s Terrorism Situation and Trend Report: https://www.europol.europa.eu/cms/sites/default/files/documents/EU_TE-SAT_2025.pdf.
[33] France particularly has suffered from attacks inspired by Islamism (e.g., Bataclan Theater, Charlie Hebdo publishing offices, Hypercacher supermarket); Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the UK are among countries recording significant terror incidents: https://www.hoover.org/research/growing-islamism-europe-negatively-affects-us-interests.
[34] Like our founder, today at Life in Messiah we are not “political Zionists” who support every action of Israel’s government (though certainly political arguments for a Jewish state are eminently reasonable). Nor do we unconditionally support the actions of any government, including our own. Human institutions must be judged by biblical values. Israel’s right to the land is grounded in the unconditional promises and faithfulness of God. We desire for people who live in the Promised Land to experience God’s hand of protection and blessing, which is what motivates us to point our friends – Jewish and Gentile – to His call to repentance, faith, and obedience.