Families of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas on October 7 spoke at a Texas church Sunday, calling the ongoing war a “battle between good and evil” and urging Christians to support the Jewish state. He urged people to speak out on behalf of the hostages.
Daria Kusnir spoke at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano and told members she was representing her two brothers-in-law, Eitan Horn, 37, and Yair Horn, 45. Told. They are her husband’s brothers.
“This is not a right-wing or left-wing issue,” Kusnir said. “…They want to destroy not only the Jews, but the Jewish people. Therefore, they need your help.”
Eitan had visited his home in Yair, near the Gaza border, over the weekend of the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas.
“I was at home at 6:30 a.m. when the terrorist attack began. We live in the center of Israel. We went to a safe room, closed the door, took our children and ” Kuznia said.
She and her husband called Eitan and Yair at 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., each time telling them they were safe.
“Then they stopped answering us. We had no idea what was going on.”
That night, members of the IDF called Kusnir and her husband to inform them that no one was home at Yair’s house. They were being held hostage.
More than a month later, after a series of hostages were released, Kusnir and his family learned they were still alive.
“They have been held in underground tunnels without air, food or medicine since October 7,” she said. “We don’t know anything. We hope and pray they are still alive.”
Another Israeli citizen, a woman named Riel, told members of the Prestonwood church that she was speaking for her cousin, Carmel Gatto, 39, who is being held in Gaza. Gatto’s mother was one of more than 1,000 people killed in the attack.
“Carmel is still being held hostage in Gaza,” Riel said. “She’s only six months older than me. We often had sleepovers together at her grandparents’ house in Israel. She’s an occupational therapist.”
In November, Riel learned that Gatto was being held with her children.
“We know [this] Because…when these kids were released in November, they said, “Oh, we were with Carmel.” She did yoga with us to help keep us grounded and take our mind off things. And, she said, she wants you to know she’s safe and healthy. “But that’s the last I heard from her,” Riel said. “And I don’t know if she’s still there, if she’s alive, if she’s healthy, if she’s safe, but I pray that God will watch over her and all of her family.”
Riel called on Christians to assist the hostages.
“We still have family members who are being held hostage,” Riel said. “…this is not politics. This is not the left, this is the right. This is not Judaism, this is Christianity. This is good and evil. It is a battle between good and evil. We need you. Speak up and be supportive. …If you hear someone talking about Israel, join the conversation. If you see someone posting something online… If you see it, please intervene. We need your help. We need your help because this isn’t just affecting us. This is affecting the world. ”
Prestonwood Baptist Church is pastored by Jack Graham.
Image credit: jackngraham and presontwoodplanocampus / Instagram
Michael Faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His story was published in Baptist Press. Christianity Today, Christian Poecent, of leaf chronicle, of toronto star and of knoxville news sentinel.
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