GNITN – Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 32
One Month Later

The Hurt Is Still There

We celebrate significant dates and they are usually happy occasions where people celebrate weddings, work longevity and more, but for Israelis, the one month point after the Hamas attack that slaughtered them in cruel and inhumane ways is a moment that will haunt them forever. Loved ones are still being held hostage and the death toll continues to rise, mostly from soldiers in the Israel Defense Force (IDF). We in America have these events as well, from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001 so we can relate, especially the more current one. So we need to take a moment and pause and pray for Israel today as they commemorate what happened on October 7th. Here is some of the ways they are dealing with that fateful day as detailed in this report from The Times Of Israel (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-month-after-loved-ones-taken-captive-families-of-hostages-howl-on-global-stage/) :

Marking a month since at least 245 people in Israel were taken captive into Gaza, family, friends and allies of the hostages held rallies and prayer vigils across Israel and around the world demanding their release, as Israel tries to ramp up diplomatic pressure to have them freed.

At the Western Wall on Tuesday evening, family members of the 240 people still believed to be held hostage in Gaza gathered for a prayer service, and lit a “torch of life” as they prayed desperately for their safe and immediate return …Similar events and vigils demanding the release of captives were held in Rome, Berlin, London, New York, Washington, Rio De Janeiro, and other cities around the world.

No Ceasefire Without Hostages Released

Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed this issues and others in an interview with ABC News as seen in this report from CBN.com (see https://www2.cbn.com/news/israel/netanyahu-rejects-calls-ceasefire-idf-finds-hamas-rocket-launchers-mosques-childrens) :

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News Israel isn't ready for a ceasefire.

"Well, there'll be no ceasefire, general ceasefire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages," Netanyahu said. "As far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there. We've had them before, I suppose, will check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages to leave. But I don't think there's going to be a general ceasefire."

Netanyahu went on to say a ceasefire would hamper the war and the effort to get the hostages. Netanyahu also told 80 ambassadors what he believes is at stake in this war.

“What we see is a broader battle between civilization and barbarism. The barbarism is led by an axis of terror. The axis of terror is led by Iran,” he said. “We believe that all civilized powers should back us in this effort because this battle is your battle and our victory is your victory."

Tactical Pauses

The Jerusalem Post quotes Netanyahu in regards to ceasefires, again from the same ABC News interview see (see https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/gaza-news/article-772113) :

Israel could consider a small tactical pause to the Gaza war for an hour or so, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told David Muir of ABC’s World News Tonight program as he responded to the international pressure for a ceasefire.

“As far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there, we have had them before,” Netanyahu said.

In a separate news report from i24news.tv (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1699338352-netanyahu-israel-to-bear-security-responsibility-over-gaza-for-indefinite-period) we read about his views on the northern front with Hezbollah:

“We will check the circumstances in order to enable humanitarian goods to come in or individual hostages to leave,” he stated on Tuesday.

Regarding the prospects of Hezbollah's involvement in the conflict, Israel's Prime Minister said: "I think they've understood that if they enter the war in a significant way, the response will be very, very powerful and I hope they don't make that mistake."

Gaza Under Control By Israel

Netanyahu, in the same ABC News interview said this about what they intend to do with Gaza after Hamas is eradicated there as reported by i24news.tv (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1699338352-netanyahu-israel-to-bear-security-responsibility-over-gaza-for-indefinite-period) :Israel will have an "overall security responsibility" in Gaza for an "indefinite period" after the war, stated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the interview with ABC News. He added that Israel seeks to guarantee that only "those who don't want to continue the way of Hamas" will govern Gaza in the future.

"I think Israel will, for an indefinite period will have the overall security responsibility because we've seen what happens when we don't have it. When we don't have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn't imagine."

“Foreseeable future” fits the Psalm 83 prediction to a tee.

Unthinkable Tactics Revealed

The IDF produced video of a playground and pool with rocket launchers on it, something Hamas has denied existed for years. In the aforementioned CBN.com article we read this:

The IDF also uncovered evidence of what they had said for years, that Hamas hid their rocket launchers inside mosques and even a boy's club. In a video, one IDF officer showed the pictures on the wall, while at the end of the room were rocket launchers aimed toward the Israeli city of Ashkelon and other cities to the north.

The IDF found rocket launchers embedded in the ground near a mosque. Hamas has denied this in the past, and Israel says using hospitals, schools, and mosques constitutes a pattern of war crimes.

The IDF also released footage of Gazans fleeing the combat zone when they opened up a civilian corridor.

And we get more information on this from The Times Of Israel (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-troops-found-hamas-rocket-launchers-near-playground-swimming-pool-in-gaza/) :

Meanwhile the IDF shared footage of its troops locating rocket-launching positions in civilian areas, amid efforts to uncover and destroy Hamas infrastructure. The terror group uses such sites to fire rockets at Israeli population centers.

Troops found four underground launchers some five meters (16 feet) from a children’s swimming pool, and around 30 meters from residential homes in the northern Gaza Strip, footage showed. Another clip showed troops locating a number of rocket launchers within a children’s playground and amusement park compound.

“This is further proof of the Hamas terror organization’s constant use of the civilian population as a human shield for terror purposes,” the IDF said in a statement.

I highly doubt these pro-Hamas protestors will know this, or maybe deny it when told about it.

We Must Not Forget, Too

While we are in solidarity with Israel in their fight to end terrorism around and inside their borders in the West Bank, we must not forget that there very well could be plots to carry out terrorist attacks in America. With such lax border security, we really don’t know who’s been coming into our country over the last 3 years. I don’t want to be chicken little about this, but 22 years ago we certainly let our guard down and planes were used by terrorists to attack us. And another wakeup call may be in order to get us back on our knees and humble ourselves. I think praying this verse is apropos for us now:

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. (2 Chron 7:14, NLV)

Lord let us do exactly that, humble ourselves and pray.