Over the last week, we’ve all been bombarded and mortified by the barbaric and grotesque images coming from the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist atrocities that slaughtered over 1,300 innocent citizens from Israel and 22 other countries (men, women, children, babies, and elderly, including 25 Americans) in a single day. What happened on that Sabbath day was unimaginable horror and ongoing terror for all.

These ISIS-Nazi-type cowards also viciously abducted roughly 150 precious souls (including 17 Americans), stealing them from their homes, communities, concerts, etc.. They are hiding them in terror tunnels underneath innocent Palestinians living in Gaza, who they have intentionally placed in harm’s way to protect their own hides from imminent Israeli military retaliations.

What might surprise some is the number of international people among the victims. The Washington Post reported that so far that “people from 23 countries were killed or missing in the war, including from Israel, Ukraine, Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, Peru, Argentina, Columbia, Italy, Canada, Cambodia, China and Russia.

Suffice it to say here, our hearts are still breaking for what has happened to Israel and the unspeakable massacre of innocent people there. We have many friends there with whom we’ve been in communication. Our support and prayers are with them all, and especially the victims and their families.

The fact is, Hamas, like Hezbollah (and all the enemies of Israel, including Iran), won’t stop. They are barbarians and must be stopped for these types of Jewish massacres to end. We also condemned the so-call Day of Rage on Friday around the world, instigated by Hamas. How heinous that anyone would follow their commands, especially in the United States!

Speaking of standing up for Israel, I was away when “700+ Notable Hollywood Figures Signed An Open Letter in Support of Israel,” condemning Hamas’ barbaric assault and calling for the return of hostages. I only wish I were available to sign the open letter, because my wife, Gena, and my signatures would have been as large as John Hancock’s on the Declaration of Independence!

For all the knocks Hollywood takes for their left-wing views, may I just say I’m proud that these entertainment leaders stood up for Israel and signed the open letter: people like Gal Gadot, Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Garcia, Michael Douglas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mark Hamill, Howie Mandel, Riki Lake, Dean Cain, BeverlyD’Angelo, Chris Pine, Mayim Bialik, George Lopez, Liev Schreiber, Lance Bass, Amy Schumer, Debra Messing, Bryan Lourd, John Fogerty, Richard Lovett, Ryan Murphy, Zachery Levi, Sharon Osbourne, Chuck Liddell, Tracey-Ann Oberman, Phil Rosenthal, Mekhi Phifer, Erik Kritzer, Diane Warren, Haim Saban, Tia Carrere, Irving Azoff, Ynon Kreiz, Jody Gerson, Rick Yorn, Sherry Lansing, Rick Yorn, Tom Rothman, Julian Edelman and Antoine Fuqua. There were a myriad of others connected to the entertainment industry who signed the letter as well (over 1,000 signatures at time of this publication).

Saban spoke for many when he wrote in a statement, “In the aftermath of the barbaric killing of more than 1,200 Israelis, we in the Hollywood community and around the world must stand with Israel as it defends itself against a terrorist regime in Gaza that seeks Israel’s destruction.”

I want you to read the entire signed open letter so you can feel the impact of what these people are standing for and against:

The nightmare that Israelis have feared for decades became a reality as Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israeli cities and towns.

Under the cover of thousands of rockets fired indiscriminately into civilian populations, Hamas murdered and kidnapped innocent men, women, and children. They kidnapped and murdered infants and the elderly. They raped women and mutilated their bodies. They paraded their bodies through the streets and on social media, and cowardly attacked the Supernova Music Festival – bringing death and destruction to an event celebrating friendship and love.

This is terrorism. This is evil. There is no justification or rationalization for Hamas’ actions. These are barbaric acts of terrorism that must be called out by everyone. They are a terrorist organization whose leaders call for the murder of Jews everywhere.

[The Creative Community for Peace] calls on our friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry to speak out forcefully against Hamas and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families.

As Israel takes the necessary steps to defend its citizens in the coming days and weeks, social media will be overrun by an orchestrated misinformation campaign spearheaded by Iran. We urge everyone to remember the horrific images that came out of Israel and to not amplify or fall for their propaganda.

Our thoughts are with all those experiencing unfathomable levels of fear and violence, and we hope for the day when Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace.

Again, I can’t tell you how proud I am of these fellow entertainment leaders and countless others from the industry.

I know they would also join me in highlighting the real heroes on that tragic day.

First, I encourage everyone to look at the Jerusalem Post’s tribute list of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of military personnel, police officers, medics, firefighters and other first responders who gave up their lives trying to help, protect and save others during the Hamas massacre. They are truly “The Names and Faces of Israel’s Fallen Heroes.”

The fact is, there were countless heroes, including average dads, moms, grandpas, grandmas, aunts and uncles, young adults, teens and whole families.

Let me tell you about just a few of those innumerable heroic and courageous warriors, most of whom were merely waking up on early Sabbath morning and Jewish holiday weekend.

The South African Jewish Report shared, “Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, a 25-year-old woman who is being credited for the survival of everyone on her kibbutz even as many of the neighboring kibbutzes suffered heavy losses.

“According to viral social posts, Rabin-Lieberman noticed early on that someone was trying to infiltrate Kibbutz Nir-Am and ran from house to house to raise the alarm, becoming sort of an Israeli Paul Revere who mustered a strong enough defence that dozens of Hamas attackers were killed before they could do any damage.

“‘When it’s all over, this woman will receive the Israel Prize,” one post by a user named Ziv Rubinstein said. ‘The story of her heroism is a story that will enter Israeli mythology for generations.’”

CTV News (Vancouver) reported, “The Vancouver man killed in Israel while attending a music festival [where 260 mostly young people were massacred] is being remembered for being a hero until his last moments.

“On Tuesday evening, during a gathering at Jack Poole Plaza, friends of Ben Mizrachi shared that he used his medical training to help those wounded around him.

“‘We understand that during the attack, Ben came back with a wounded friend, keeping himself in danger to care for others,’ said Maytar Fadida, Mizrachi’s friend.

“‘He used the training that he learned during his time as a medic with the (Israeli Defence Forces) to tend to wounded people at the festival before he died. That’s who Ben was. He was a true hero.’”

Aish.com reported, “Early in the morning of October 7, Aharon Haimov, 25, responded to distress calls from the nearby Gaza area from his home in Ofakim and quickly reported to duty as a civilian driver for Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service. On his way to treat the wounded, he was murdered by gunfire by Hamas terrorists.

“Eli Bin, the Director General of Magen David Adom said in a eulogy for Aharon: ‘For every complex security event, volunteers and staff of Magen David Adom are found on site in order to provide professional first aid to the wounded. Aharon was a ‘salt of the earth’ kind of person, and an outstanding example of the staff and volunteers of Magen David Adom. Aharon, a person for whom the well-being of others and the value of human life were always before him including today, on this tragic morning. The passing of Aharon leaves us in great pain and honoring his path. The volunteers and staff of Magen David Adom salute Aharon and hug his family – an inseparable part of the Magen David Adom family. May his memory be for a blessing.’”

“Aharon is survived by his wife, two children, family members and friends.”

As Hamas continued their massacre, 16-year-old Rotem Matias texted his sister, “Mom and dad are dead. Sorry.”

Rotem is an Israeli-American teenager whose parents, Deborah and Shlomi Matias, were killed during the barbaric attacks of Hamas at his family’s home in a kibbutz in southern Israel.

The New York Post reported, “The teenager helped his parents … barricade the door using mattresses and furniture – but it was not enough to stop the armed intruders.
“The terrorists shot open the door,” Mathias said during the interview, which aired on “Good Morning America.” “They throw a grenade or something that exploded. The last thing my dad said is he lost his arm, and then my mom died on top of me.”

Rotem was also shot during the attack but survived.

“The boy who had just witnessed both his parents murdered in cold blood was later able to crawl from under his mom’s body and hide beneath a bloodied blanket for several hours as terrorists trooped through his house, looking for survivors to finish off.”

“Mom and Dad, they sacrificed their lives to save me,” Rotem told CNN last week.

He explained, “I’m able to walk now. A few days ago, I couldn’t even stand. The bullet in my stomach has been taken out via surgery, and I’m feeling much, much better.”

Rotem said he plans to keep that bullet to remember his parent’s heroic sacrifice forever.

“I wanted to just keep it as a memory to never forget them and remember that even though it was the hardest and lowest point in my life, I found … some hope that maybe I could live and share the memories, and how I saw my parents, with other people,” he said.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the surviving Troen-Mathias children.

UK Daily Mail reported, “Itay and Hadar Berdichevsky, both 30, only had mere seconds to react when they heard the gunmen trying to smash down their front door, knowing that if they didn’t, their children [10-month old twin babies] would never have a future.

“The terrified parents frantically bundled their two babies into a hidden shelter moments before the Hamas terrorists stormed into their home, the Israeli ambassador to Colombia Gali Dagan revealed.”

Rotem Segev, Israel’s ambassador to Cyprus, explained, “They were brutally murdered after fighting fiercely with the terrorists.”

Itay and Hadar were able to fight off and kill seven Hamas terrorists before being brutally murdered.

The Jerusalem Post reported, “Unbeknownst to the attackers, the twins remained undiscovered, lying next to their deceased parents for roughly 12-14 hours. They were later rescued by security forces and handed over to their grandmother for care.”

Ambassador Dagan explained, “The babies were left alone for more than 12 hours until they were rescued. Imagine the horror. Two terrified parents doing everything they can to save their children, who are now orphaned. Blessed be the memory of these heroes.”

Those beloved parents’ sacrifices, like those of innumerable other heroes, remind me of the words of Jesus, who said, “Greater love has no one than this: that one lay down his life for another.”

The fact that over 1,300 victims and heroes came from 22 countries around the globe is one more proof why the Hamas’ massacre was a terror attack on all of humanity. And as such, the entire world needs to condemn this brutal and barbaric act of terror, and even more important to stand up for Israel, supporting their right to defend their nation and people until Hamas is eradicated.

On that note, we support and pray for all of Israel, including their military personnel and especially their special operation units. We pray for the American heroes heading to war: IDF reservists and volunteers board flights for Israel as they take up roles as snipers, firemen and rescuers against Hamas terrorists. We also pray for first responders and other medical personnel.

Mostly, we pray for the victims and their brokenhearted families and friends. We pray for biblical justice. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the entire Middle East. We pray for God’s Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

This article was originally published by the WND News Center.

This post originally appeared on WND News Center.