Jill Duggar has taken to social media to share her view on the war between Israel and Hamas – claiming she too ‘knows the feeling’ of being embroiled in a violent conflict.
The 32-year-old posted a statement on Instagram Stories in which she compared her experience working as a missionary in El Salvador, which at the time was overrun by gang violence, to that of civilians caught up in the burgeoning terrorist conflict. The Gaza Strip.
“My heart goes out to anyone living in a war-torn country,” Jill wrote.
“Although very different, I know the feeling of living in another country, terrified in moments of real threat that my husband and I, along with our infant baby, could be killed after our close friends were kidnapped and killed .”
Jill Duggar has taken to social media to share her view on the war between Israel and Hamas
The 32-year-old reality star alluded to the time she spent doing missionary work in El Salvador to express empathy for those “living in a war-torn country.”
In a second Instagram story, Jill then shared a quote from German theologian Martin Niemoller and noted that she has ‘Jewish and Arab friends’
She continued: “Our personal situation was temporary. I can’t imagine facing these daily threats at home, surrounded by an inevitable, exhausting war.’
‘There is no easy solution. But evil brutality and terrorism cannot rule… It must stop,” the statement concluded.
She also linked a video by Mandana Dayani in which the lawyer and activist berates supposedly ‘liberal’ protesters in America for voicing support for the ruling Palestinian political faction Hamas, which, she pointed out, is a ‘terrorist organisation’.
In a second Instagram story, Jill shared a quote from German theologian Martin Niemoller and wrote: “There are no easy answers in war, but evil, despicable, terrorist acts must be stopped.
“I have Jewish and Arab friends… none of them have condoned terrorist acts.
“In fact, some of my Arab friends have tearfully told me how they have been personally affected by extremists and how they disagree with the actions taken by terrorist groups and want them to stop.”
She ended up adding the hashtag I Stand With Israel.
In 2015, Jill and now 34-year-old husband Derick—along with their then-newborn Israel—embarked on a mission trip to El Salvador.
As Jill wrote in her memoir, Counting the Cost, during the months spent there: ‘The gang situation in El Salvador had gotten even worse.
“There were a lot more police on patrol in the capital, San Salvador, and in our little village some of the shops and houses had started hiring armed guards.
“We had our guard up since we arrived, but it didn’t feel like much protection,” she continued, noting the gangs’ tendency to target individuals known to be wealthy.
In 2015, Jill and now 34-year-old husband Derick—along with their then-newborn Israel—embarked on a mission trip to El Salvador.
Consequently, during the trip, the threat of being kidnapped loomed over and over again.
One evening, when Derick was ‘away somewhere’, Jill and ‘some of the ladies on the team’ were inside the church when they heard a number of gunshots nearby – prompting everyone to find hiding places.
Jill remembered how she hid in a closet with Israel, nursing him so he wouldn’t cry.
It turned out to have been a false alarm, set off by one of the guards on the church property “showing up” who had “let his friend shoot the gun”.
Later, Jill revealed that TLC had ‘decided to secure the reward for us, which only made us feel even more vulnerable.’
At the time, the network was preparing to debut the spinoff 19 Kids and Counting Counting On, which initially focused on Jill and sister Jessa.
Of the environment she witnessed in El Salvador, she wrote, “Almost every male in the country was in a gang, even boys as young as seven and eight. There were only two ways out – either death or joining a church.
“For some reason the gangs left Christians alone, but only if the person was truly committed to their church,” she explained.
Jill and Derick had grown close to a family including their teenage daughter Fatima.
Fatima’s boyfriend, Raul, had apparently managed to escape a gang by joining the church – but, out of nowhere, he was still kidnapped off the street – never to be heard from again.
Not long after, Fatima and her mother, Rosa, appeared at the church in tears.
“They told us that the gang had instructed them not to ask any questions or look for Raul or his body and that if they did, they would be next,” Jill wrote of the incident.
(tagsTranslate) Daily Mail Female(s) Jill Duggar(s) Hamas