1 December 2023

Financed by Iran and Qatar, Hamas-led terrorists took about 240 hostages during the October 7 shock assault in which they it raped, pillaged, mutilated and massacred some 1,200 people in southern Israel.

For the last few weeks, Israel has carried out a ground campaign to destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages, while seeking to limit Gazan civilian casualties as far as possible. 

Last week, a temporary ceasefire agreement was reached, under which Hamas agreed to release hostages. So far 105 civilians have been freed: 81 Israelis, 23 Thai nationals and 1 Filipino. 

Some of the released hostages have reported they were beaten, threatened with death, underfed, kept in cages and denied medical care.

Israel estimates that about 137 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Israel insists the terror group release all remaining civilian women and children hostages. 

Today the IDF renewed its military campaign, stating that Hamas has breached the terms of the ceasefire. The White House supported Israel, stating that Hamas had failed, as agreed, to produce a new list of hostages to release to enable an extension of the truce.

Israel has taken control of the northern part of Gaza. Hamas and its allies have retreated into the tunnels in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, in all likelihood taking the remaining hostages with them. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans have also fled to the south. Israel now faces a huge challenge to have the remaining hostages released, while also achieving its goal of eliminating Hamas’ capabilities. 

Israel is coming under increasing international pressure to limit or stop hostilities. In his visit to Israel this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel’s war cabinet that it likely doesn’t have months to wage war against Hamas in Gaza. This reflects the mounting pressure on the US administration to bring an end to the fighting. Blinken cautioned Israel at considerable length against allowing the same scale of death and displacement in southern Gaza once fighting shifts there from northern Gaza.

All the while, Israel is fighting Hezbollah (a terrorist organization) in Lebanon – a simmering conflict that has so far cost 60 Hezbollah lives and 9 Israeli lives. As Yaakov Lappin reports: “Hezbollah’s tactics involve embedding its operations within Lebanese civilian areas; using southern Shi’ite villages as bases of attack; firing anti-tank missiles at Israeli northern homes and military positions; and continuing to pose a serious and persistent threat.”

Let us continue to pray for all the people of the region. Let us pray especially for the hostages and their families, for the Israeli government, and for strength and protection of the Israeli army. Pray that they will persevere and experience God’s help.

Above all, let us pray that Messiah will soon come to establish His kingdom of peace. Maranatha. 

On explosive northern front, Hezbollah lurks; IDF conducts precise defense 
The situation on the Lebanese border resembles a ticking time bomb, though for now, the Israeli military has restrained its responses and exacted a price from the terror group.

The suffering is beyond words 
Johan van der Ham was recently in Israel on behalf of Christians for Israel. He met with families of hostages and visited some of the destroyed kibbutzim in the south of Israel.