The hostage-prisoner exchanges keep everybody—hostages and families— on an emotional roller coaster.

On top of everything, this is psychological warfare.

The Hamas “theatre” of psychological games, manipulations and emotions involving the hostages are infuriating. The psy-ops going back and forth, start-top tactics, leave the Israeli nation feeling sleepless, sick and upside down.

When are we going to see some of the innocent BABIES released? As of this writing, baby Kfir (10 months) remains hostage at the cruel hands of Hamas.

We keep praying for miracles of recovery and release!

Yesterday the release of a four-year-old hostage who was orphaned by Hamas reminded the world of their barbarism.

An Israeli friend posted:
Some children have been released together with their parents as per the agreement, but some have not. Hila age 14 came back on Saturday, forced to leave her mother behind in captivity, and imagining that moment is haunting me. It seems the terrorists did not tell the hostages they were about to be released, so Hila’s mother and family members of some of the other released hostages are now down there wondering if their loved ones were released or taken to be executed or otherwise.

Meanwhile aid is flooding into Gaza and their innocent civilians are receiving much needed food, fuel and medicine. God have mercy on them.

The lives of the remaining hostages are still in grave danger.

We pray for success for the American Center for Law and Justice which is now legally representing multiple families of the hostages on Capitol Hill and before the United Nations, European Parliament and international tribunals to demand action to bring ALL the hostages home.

An update on Christian Gazans who are sheltering in churches in North Gaza: My Israeli friend also noted that these Christians “are scared to leave their refuge in fear of being murdered by Hamas who have the same attitude towards Christians as they do to Jews.”

There is a chance Israel may evacuate the endangered Gazan Christians to the West Bank. Please pray for their deliverance. . . . Also as I reported in a previous blog, please pray for the continued move of the Holy Spirit among Gazans through dreams and visions of Jesus in contrast to their cruel taskmasters.

Meanwhile, the present “deal” includes a “pause” in the fighting; it is feared Hamas will try to draw out a ceasefire for weeks by releasing a few more hostages daily in exchange for more “pauses.”

According to the most recent “Friday Prayer Points” published by Intercessors for Israel, the USA along with most other nations, may likely, eventually, refuse to support Israel if it wants to continue the war to completely uproot Hamas.

Israel seems to be the only country that doesn’t start wars but is not allowed to finish wars.

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team, wrote I believe very accurately in his Friday Prayer Points:

“Break this snare that Israel has foolishly fallen into because of the intense pressure from the nations, especially America, and the emotional appeals from the hostage families (Psa. 124:1-8).”

Chuck added, “It is only by His grace that we can stand and fight in this spiritual war for God to be glorified in Israel through the fulfillment of His Word. Thank you for praying for us to abide in His grace and His calling – as well as to trust that He is leading us in prayer, although that assurance normally comes after the fact.”

Furthermore, some important points from the Intercessors for Israel website:

  • Show believers that hating evil is part of loving and fearing You (Psa. 97:10a; Prov. 8:13; Amos 5:15a; Rom. 12:9b).
  • Let the war in Israel impel more believers to read the Tanach (Bible) and perceive at least in part what You are doing to fulfill Your prophetic word today (Isa. 8:20; Jer. 8:7-9; Mark 12:24; 2 Pet. 1:19).
  • King Yeshua, cleanse Your Body of all anti-Semitic and anti-Zionistic tendencies (Eph. 5:27).
  • Use the very dangerous explosion of Jew-hatred in exile to show Jews that while it is not 100% safe in Israel, it is, and will continue to be, much safer than living outside (Jer. 31:10; 32:37; Zech. 9:16).
  • Confront the pride of Your people who do not want gentiles to think they have scared them away, and remind them that the Jews in Germany often thought that in the 1930s (Prov. 16:18; 18:12a).
    • Show them that You are driving them out of the captivity and bringing them home (Jer. 16:16; 31:3).And now, taking the side of the bloodthirsty Jew haters would appear to be the new popular cause of the younger generation.

And now, taking the side of the bloodthirsty Jew haters would appear to be the new popular cause of the younger generation.

O Man of War,  deliver the younger generation who claim they are somehow more enlightened, purer in their views about climate and “social justice.” Yet many don’t read a newspaper. Instead they’re glued to smart phone video snippets which smear Israel as committing genocide when it’s the other way around.

Where are the actors and actresses? Instead, hostage posters are angrily ripped down.

It’s a level of evil we’ve never seen.

Therefore today let us proclaim Psalm 120 and identify with the weariness of Israel:

“In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue [… from the lies and false theatre of Hamas, from the shallowness of Tiktok that is molding the minds of the younger generation. Deliver us from the chant “from the river to the sea.” If they had to, many protestors in the streets couldn’t name the river or the sea.] Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace. I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.”

I’m relieved to report that in London this week there were no war cries, no angry chants, just solidarity with the UK’s fearful Jews when 100,000 people marched against anti-Semitism. There was just one chorus: ‘Bring them home.’ The following screenshot is from the Daily Mail online:

However, Robert Hardman also wrote, “2,500 miles to the East, a four-year-old girl was among the handful who were indeed heading home – albeit to a home without the two parents who were executed in front of her very eyes on October 7.”

We praise the LORD of Armies in advance that in the future Ezekiel 38-39 War, whenever that unfolds, YOUR NAME will be sanctified in the sight of the nations.

We’re holding on to You and Your promises today!

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