“A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more”. (Jeremiah 31:15).

Two and a half weeks ago, on a Thursday night, three teenage boys were kidnapped by Hamas. The boys were on their way home from school, late at night. But they never made it. The boys – Gilad Shaar, 16, Naftli Frenkle, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19.

The whole country has been praying and hoping for the safe return of the boys, and many international efforts have been put by their families, calling to “bring back our boys”. The parents have gone to the UN Human Rights council trying to raise awareness and help, the army has literally been turning every stone and checking every hole to find them. Every passing day, news was given of the progress in searching them and of the nation being united with the families. Hope was mingled with reality, knowing the chances of finding them alive, was very slim. Yet, we prayed. No claim for the kidnapping was made and the three have just disappeared. Until just now.

Around 5:30 p.m. Israel time, army units found the bodies of the 3 kidnapped teens.

It is hard for me to hold back my tears. Three innocent boys who just wanted to get home from school, to their mothers hug and the rest of their family, are no more. One of them is the only son in his family. Why? Why kill them? I have no answer other than that the kidnappers were full of hate. As news came of the kidnapping at first, arabs in Gaza and the villages nearby were sharing candy and celebrating and calling for more kidnappings of Jews. I don’t talk about politics in my blog, but this isn’t politics. It’s the reality of where I live. The issue here is deeper than the shallow talks on the news and even between governments, about who’s land this is. It is God’s land, given to the nation of Israel. The issue is spiritual and we as believers need to remember that.

As soon as I heard of the kidnapping, the first thing I thought of was “A voice is heard in Ramah”. A sign with the same saying was hung at the bus stop the boys were kidnapped from, after the kidnapping. I cannot begin to imagine how the three mothers feel tonight as they received the news of their sons. All I can do, is pray that God comfort them, their family and friends. And I ask you who read this, to do the same.

© Hannah Kramer