25 April 2024

This week, the Jewish people celebrate Passover - commemorating the exodus from Egypt. Moses told Pharoah: “Let My people go”. Pharoah's heart was hardened, and God intervened at the appointed time to ensure the Hebrew people could escape.
 
Just as in Egypt 3030 years ago, it seems God will need to intervene if His people are to live in freedom in the land that God has given them as an eternal possession in order to serve and worship Him as the only true and living God. 
 
Normally Pesach is a joyous time, but this year for most Israelis it is a time of anguish. Israel is under siege as never before. Like Pharoah, its enemies are keeping Israel captive.

Those enemies include Iran, its proxy Hezbollah, and their allies like Qatar and Hamas. The war in Gaza provoked by Hamas' invasion of Israel on 7th October 2023 has been going for 200 days, and the end is not yet in sight.
 
Hamas still holds 129 hostages in Gaza. It is not known how many of them are alive. 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 12 hostages have been recovered, including those of three mistakenly killed by the military. Recently, the IDF confirmed the deaths of 34 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.
 
The Israel Defense Forces has conducted all necessary preparations to take Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah and can launch an operation the moment it gets government approval, a senior Israeli defense official said Wednesday. Top Israeli security officials visited Egypt Wednesday to coordinate the planned offensive. As soon as Israel makes a move, it will be immediately denounced by the international community for using excessive force and causing a humanitarian disaster. And yet it is the international community that is causing the crisis, by refusing to pressure Egypt to open its borders to enable Palestinians to find safety from Israel's legitimate war against the genocidal Hamas regime. 
 
Of course, Israel is fighting a war not just with Hamas. Rather, it is fighting a multi-front war with Iran and its proxies and allies. This became official when Iran attacked Israel for the first time two weeks ago. 
 
Iran’s most dangerous proxy, from Israel’s perspective, is Hezbollah, which is primarily active in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. The conflict with Hezbollah continues to escalate. Since October 8, Hezbollah and allied terror groups in Lebanon have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a daily basis with rockets, drones, anti-tank missiles and other means. Israel has threatened to go to war to force Hezbollah away from the border if it does not retreat and continues to threaten northern communities, from where some 70,000 people were evacuated to avoid the fighting. 
 
So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in eight civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 11 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries. The IDF had announced that it has eliminated six Hezbollah brigade commanders and 30 battalion commanders in total. It is estimated that Hezbollah has 50,000 to 100,000 troops and 10 to 15 brigade commanders. It has built a vast network of tunnels in Lebanon – reported to be significantly more extensive than those built by Hamas in Gaza. 
 
Global hatred of the Jews is on the rise. Anti-Israel sentiment is growing in the West. American Ivy-league universities have become hotbeds of antisemitism. For five days, pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups have been encamped on Columbia University’s campus in New York. Students at a growing number of United States colleges have gathered in protest encampments with a unified demand of their schools: Stop doing business with Israel — or any companies that empower its ongoing war in Gaza.
 
This is continuation of a decades-old campaign against Israel and its policies that is tantamount to calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. 
 
Let us pray that the Almighty will intervene to set His people free, and that He will work in the hearts and minds of the Jewish people around the world – that they may love and serve Him with their whole hearts, minds, souls, and strength. Then Israel will be a true light to the nations. 

How to define success in the next phase of the Israel-Hamas war

Eric Mandel: 'The world’s attention has left Gaza for the moment due to the Iranian attack against Israel, a major strategic shift in Iranian policy increasing the chance for a regional war. But it is only a matter of time before the spotlight will return to Rafah, the last holdout of Hamas’ standing battalions.'

Purim & Pesach – Reflections on their Significance Today
Christians for Israel: 'The Jewish holiday of Purim and the biblical feast of Pesach provide us with some valuable insights into the miraculous ways of God.'