5 December 2025

Israeli authorities on Thursday morning confirmed that the remains recovered from the Gaza Strip the previous evening belong to murdered Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, whose body had been held captive in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. Authorities informed Rinthalak’s family that arrangements for returning his body to Thailand will be made in coordination with the Thai Embassy in Israel.

Rinthalak was born and raised in the town of Rattanawapi in Nong Khai province, northeastern Thailand. He was working as a foreign agricultural worker on farms near the Gaza border at the time of the massacre.

Rinthalek’s story epitomizes the uniqueness of Israel. Gentiles have flocked to the land of Israel from all parts of the world over the last century to help the Jewish people rebuild the land. In doing so, they share in the blessings, but also the tragedies, that befall the land and people in this time of redemption, when Satan seeks to thwart God’s plans, and the nations of the world continue to “trample on Jerusalem” (Luke 21).

There is now only one remaining hostage held in Gaza. Israel says that the government and the entire Israeli security establishment are “determined, committed and working tirelessly” to bring home Israel Police counterterror officer Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage in Gaza. “The Hamas terrorist organization is required to fulfill its obligations to the mediators and return him as part of the [ceasefire] agreement’s implementation. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we bring him home to Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Bibi asks Hertzog for a pardon

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially asked President Isaac Herzog to pardon him from the crimes of which he is charged. For the last five years, Netanyahu has been the subject of criminal trials. Netanyahu has always asserted he is innocent, and that the trials are a witchhunt initiated by his adversaries for political purposes.

The three cases against Netanyahu—labeled Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000—are each insubstantial. Case 1000 centers on the allegations that the prime minister accepted valuable gifts, in the form of champagne and cigars, in exchange for political favors to wealthy donors. Case 2000 alleges that the prime minister acted improperly by discussing a possible bargain with the head of a critical newspaper in which the publisher would give Netanyahu favorable coverage in exchange for the prime minister supporting legislation that would hurt Israel Hayom, the pro-Likud newspaper owned by the late casino magnate and philanthropist Sheldon Adelson. In Cases 1000 and 2000, the specific charge is a breach of public trust.

Case 4000 is more substantial, involving claims that Netanyahu traded regulatory decisions that favored the Bezeq Company in exchange for favorable coverage on its Walla news site. But Walla remained consistently critical of the prime minister. So it’s hard to see how that constitutes actual bribery.

While many in Israel are bitterly opposed to Netanyahu continuing in power, many commentators are highly critical of the judicial system in Israel that can allow trials concerning such relatively trivial matters to drag on so long (five years).

President Trump recently suggested that Herzog should pardon Netanyahu. It took many people by surprise when Netanyahu actually asked Herzog to do so, relying on Israel’s Basic Law: The President which states, “The President of the State has the power to pardon offenders and modify sentences by reducing or commuting them.”

The situation is unique. This is the first time a sitting Israeli Prime Minister has been the subject of criminal proceedings, and the first time a Prime Minister has asked the President for a pardon.

The law only allows the President to pardon “offenders”. However Netanyahu denies that the request is admission of guilt.

It is not yet known how Herzog will respond. He has various options. It will probably take several weeks before he makes a decision.

Haredi

Some argue that the pardon request is an ploy to distract attention from another, and more important, matter that is happening: the Knesset is considering legislation that will exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews (haredi) from serving in the IDF. This is a highly controversial and divisive issue in Israel. Netanyahu’s government depends on support from the ultra-Orthodox community. Haredi men spend years studying in yeshiva, and for decades have been exempt from fighting in the army. But as the Gaza war has dragged on, there has been increasing pressure on the government to force the haredi to serve in the IDF. For the past year, Haredi leadership has pushed to pass a law largely keeping its constituency out of the Israel Defense Forces, after the High Court ruled that decades-long blanket exemptions from army duty traditionally afforded to full-time Haredi yeshiva students were illegal. Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted. The Israel Defense Forces has said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza and other military challenges. The legislation, as currently laid out, would continue to grant military service exemptions to full-time yeshiva students while ostensibly increasing conscription among graduates of Haredi educational institutions.

Lebanon

As tensions continue to rise in Lebanon, direct talks have commenced between Israel and the Lebanese government, in the presence of US envoy Morgan Ortagus. Israel is concerned that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group, which had firm control over Southern Lebanon until Israel debilitated its leadership and military capabilities over the last year, is rearming. The Lebanese government has drawn the ire of the Trump administration for its unwillingness to disarm Hezbollah. However the US also wishes to prevent the expansion of Israeli operations in Lebanon during the ongoing ceasefire. Israel insists on its right to take the necessary military action to ensure that Hezbollah is not able to rearm.

This week, pray for Israel, for the Jewish people, and for all those who live in the land. Pray that the Lord will “destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations” (Isaiah 25:7). Pray that He will continue to plant His people in the land, that He will prevent disunity, and pour out His Spirit of Grace and Supplication on His people as He has promised (Zechariah 12:10).

Above all, pray for the coming of the Prince of Peace, who alone can bring true shalom.

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