Today is Monday, October the 9th, 2023, and this is the Daily Article Podcast. I'm Chris Elkins,

narrating today's article written by Denison Forum co-founder and CEO, Dr. Jim Denison.

Quote, babies, women, the elderly, were dragged outside of their homes, were taken hostage.

Civilians were shot and most were massacred in cold blood walking on the streets.

This is something that, I mean, is truly unprecedented.

This is how Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, described the surprise attack Hamas

launched on Israel by air, land, and sea early Saturday morning.

This is our 9-11, Erdan added.

At this writing, more than 700 Israelis and about 413 Palestinians have died in the conflict.

More than 2,200 have been injured.

After declaring war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Israel launched retaliatory strikes against military compounds and locations connected to Hamas' leadership in Gaza.

The Israeli Defense Force announced this morning that it has retaken control of all communities

around the Gaza Strip.

I have led more than 30 study tours to Israel, taught world religions at several graduate

schools, and written books and numerous articles on Israel and Islam.

In this context, I will view this tragedy with you today

through the prism of geopolitical and religious narratives. Let's ask why this is happening,

then close with a practical and urgent way we must respond today. Hamas called the attack

Operation Al-Qasadalouge and claimed it was acting in retaliation for Israel's quote-unquote desecration of the temple mount,

but we should look beyond its words to its foundational beliefs. Hamas is an Arabic acronym for Islamic resistance movements. This terrorist group is part of a movement

of radical jihadists who claim that the state of Israel stole its land from its rightful Muslim

owners. They believe the Quran requires them to defend Islam by attacking Israel and anyone

...