GNITN – Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 17
Hope In The Storm

Some Good News

At least 50 of the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas are thought to be released, although actual confirmations are sporadic with 2 here or 2 there. Here is more information on this good news from i24news.tv (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1698079156-sources-to-i24news-details-finalizing-in-the-last-hour-for-the-potential-releasing-of-hostages) :

According to a source in Gaza, a potential hostage release deal is currently being finalized, with Qatari mediation playing a crucial role.

The Red Cross is on its way to receiving a group of about 50 of the abductees who hold dual citizenship. According to the source, their transfer will take place in the Khan Yunis area in the south of the Gaza Strip. Should no new obstacles emerge, a deal is anticipated to be reached in the hours ahead.

Israel will not be an official party in negotiations for the release of hostages with a dual citizenship. IDF and Israeli officials have not responded to a request for comment on the matter.

As part of the understandings and in order to allow the Red Cross personnel to reach the area safely, the source in Gaza reports that there have been no Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in the past few hours.

Hamas says the releases were for humanitarian reasons, but as we have seen before, these terrorists are not friends with the truth. The real reason could be more of a Samson-like approach to their strategy. It could be that they see they are about to be completely decimated and want more time to make a final assault. The sympathy they need from the world to get a cease fire is only more time to prepare.

Or Is It Fuel Hamas Wants?

According to a report in The Times Of Israel a snag on releasing the 50 hostages was letting fuel trucks into Gaza. Here is a quote from that web site (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-october-23-2023/#liveblog-entry-3133124) :

The Wall Street Journal reports that talks over the release of 50 hostages holding dual citizenship hit a snag Monday over the issue of fuel deliveries into the Gaza Strip, which Israel opposes.

Thomas White, the Gaza director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says the agency has only three days of fuel left for its trucks. Distribution of aid will grind to a halt when it can no longer fuel its trucks, the UN says.

Gaza hospitals are also struggling to keep generators running to power life-saving medical equipment and incubators for premature babies.

However, Israel feels certain that the fuel will be commandeered by Hamas to use for military purposes, as Israel prepares to invade the territory and eliminate the terror group.

The Israel Is Ready

There is no surprise on the news that the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is ready to go into Gaza. According to a report from The Times Of Israel (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-october-23-2023/) the IDF army is not delaying, but readying themselves:

DF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says ground forces are “very well prepared” for an offensive in the Gaza Strip.

“We want to bring Hamas to a point of disintegration. Its leadership, its military wing. That is why we attack with great force. We are killing senior commanders, killing operatives, destroying infrastructure, and acting with great determination,” Halevi says to commanders of the 146th Division in northern Israel.

“A maneuver in the south has been very well prepared,” Halevi says.

Referring to apparent delays in the ground offensive, Halevi says, “There are tactical, operative, and strategic considerations, which gave us more time. and forces that have more time prepare better, and this is what the forces are doing now.”

Another question is if they are getting ready to do the same thing farther north where they have 100,000 troops training as well.

Rooting Out All Terrorism

Many people, including some running for president in America are totally misreading what Israel is wanting to do and to the extent they really have to go to end these terrorist attacks. One interview I saw said Israel has no clear objective and he suggested that they kill those in charge publicly and then leave Gaza alone. While I admire his bluntness, I wouldn’t want him anywhere near the Whitehouse influencing foreign policy with such naivete and lack of understanding of these situations. It is shortsighted to think that dismantling Hamas in the short term will create a long term end of terrorism in Gaza, or anywhere around Israel. I may be alone in thinking this, but taking back the actual territory is the only way to contain these threats. And when people say that people living there will be displaced or killed that is not going to happen. Israel will treat innocent citizens that are willing to lay down their hatred of them as friends. Eliminating Hamas and Hezbollah and then taking over the territory to keep them from forming again there is the only way to do this.

Atrocities Revealed

I’m not going to show you pictures of what we are seeing even now as footage from cell phones found with the terrorists who were killed is released. In a screening with journalists, the Israeli military showed raw footage in an effort to remind the world of the sheer brutality of what occurred that day when Hamas breached their borders. Here are quotes from an article from BBC.com (see https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67198270) :

The bodycam footage, cut together with clips from CCTV, dashboard cameras and the mobile phones of both Hamas gunmen and victims, showed in stark detail the sheer horror visited on a music festival and family neighbourhoods in southern Israel.

The Israeli military also released documents which they said were recovered from dead Hamas members, containing detailed operational planning and instructions for attacking the neighbourhoods and taking hostages…One traumatic sequence, taken from home cameras inside of a kibbutz, showed a father rushing his two young boys into an above ground shelter, seconds before Hamas attackers threw a grenade in, killing the father and wounding the boys… The film also contained an audio recording of one of the Hamas gunmen calling home to his parents in Gaza from the phone of a victim to boast that he had "killed at least 10 Jews with my bare hands"… "Please open WhatsApp and look how many dead," he implored his parents repeatedly, apparently referring to pictures or video he had sent home showing the attack. "Your son killed so many Jews," he said. "Mum, your son is a hero."

Another sequence showed one Hamas gunman shooting the apparently dead bodies of civilians inside a kibbutz in a celebratory manner, and an attempt to decapitate someone who appeared to be still alive using a garden hoe…Another sequence showed one Hamas gunman shooting the apparently dead bodies of civilians inside a kibbutz in a celebratory manner, and an attempt to decapitate someone who appeared to be still alive using a garden hoe.

Changing Perceptions

In explaining why the IDF decided to show the videos and play the audio, one major said this from another quote from the same BBC.com article:

The decision to screen the raw footage for journalists reflected an apparent frustration among senior ranks of the Israeli military that the media coverage of Hamas's brutal attack on 7 October had given way to coverage of Israel's air strikes against Gaza and the humanitarian crisis created by Israel's order for Gazans to migrate south.

Speaking to the assembled international media after the screening, Major General Michael Edelstein, a former IDF Gaza division commander, said he had been "shocked" by the coverage.

"We see that some of the channels are trying to compare what Israel is doing and what those vile terrorists are doing," General Edelstein said.

"I cannot understand anyone who compares," he said. "And after what we have shared with you, you should know it."

Hope In The Storm

Amidst all of the reports from around the world of people giving support to Hamas and these terrorist attacks with rallies seen with hundreds of thousands marching in the streets in Los Angeles, London and many more places, it would appear that antisemitism is growing and growing. Yes, I know that this was prophesied thousands of years before, but so was a great gathering of souls coming to Jesus. This includes Jews and Muslims who are having dreams and visions of Jesus visiting them and calling to them to follow Him. There are people living in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and even in Iran who are tired of being led by terrorists and simply want to live in peace. And they also want to serve a God who cares for them and will help them out of hopeless situations. Add to your prayers the plight of the refugees who are fleeing from these nations in droves, that they will have an encounter with the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords and then be called to go back to reach others for Him. I believe a third Great Awakening is dawning and that is the true silver lining in all this chaos. Lord let it happen now.