GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 109

Hamas Rejects Offer

Won’t Accept Exile

In a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been listening to both sides, Hamas is said to reject the latest offer from Israel as we see in this article from The Times Of Israel:

Hamas has rejected Israel’s proposal for a two-month ceasefire during which the terror group would release Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners, said a senior Egyptian official on Tuesday, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The official said that Hamas leaders have also refused to leave Gaza and are demanding that Israel fully withdraw from the territory and allow Palestinians to return to their homes.

Israel did not confirm the report. Channel 12 news quoted unnamed Israeli officials saying on Tuesday evening that Israel has not been informed of Hamas rejecting the offer.

Israel actually would let Hamas leaders live with one condition:

Under Israel’s proposal, Yahya Sinwar and other top Hamas leaders in Gaza would be allowed to relocate to other countries.

That’s a pretty big concession after saying these terrorists are dead men walking on more than one occasion.

Mediators are optimistic as we read further in the report:

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari struck an optimistic tone about mediation efforts during a press briefing Tuesday, saying, “We are engaging in serious discussions with both sides. We have presented ideas to both sides. We are getting a constant stream of replies from both sides and that in its own right is a cause for optimism.”

Without exact information from both sides, we don’t know what are the sticking points for both, but it doesn’t take a scholar to figure out what some is not all of them are. Hamas doesn’t want to leave Gaza alive and Israel won’t let the terrorists stay there in any form. And as we see in the long history of Islam going all the way back to Mohammed, there isn’t any guarantee any truce will be kept by Hamas.

A Difficult Day

Lost in talk of hostages is the continued loss of IDF lives and today was the largest loss of lives in one day since fighting started as we read in a report from i24news.tv:

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi confronted the devastating news of 21 soldiers killed in action during a critical mission overnight, raising the Gaza ground operation's death toll to 221.

Halevi, visibly moved while speaking at the location of the incident in the Gaza Strip, expressed deep condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers, acknowledging the profound sorrow that accompanies such a significant loss.

"The State of Israel woke up this morning to a difficult and painful announcement: 21 dead. The best sons of this country, who volunteered to protect the home and paid the most expensive price," said Chief of Staff Halevi.

Despite the heavy toll, he emphasized the soldiers' noble cause, highlighting their commitment to securing the safety of Israeli citizens.

How the things happened is seen in another article from i24news.tv:

According to Hagari, a RPG missile was fired and two explosions occurred, the building structures likely exploded due to explosives inside, and the situation was still being investigated. There were a total of 21 victims who will be announced throughout the day. So far, 17 families were notified and the casualties identified.

Prime Minister Netanyahu issued this statement after the incident:

"I wish to strengthen the dear families of our heroic warriors who fell on the battlefield. I know that for these families, their lives will be changed forever," the prime minister said. "I mourn for our fallen heroic soldiers. I hug the families in their time of need and we all pray for the peace of our wounded."

"The IDF has launched an investigation into the disaster. We must learn the necessary lessons and do everything to preserve the lives of our warriors," Netanyahu stated. "In the name of our heroes, for our lives, we will not stop fighting until the absolute victory."

Pray for the families of these IDF soldiers:

Top (L-R): Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mark Kononovich, Sgt. First Class (res.) Israel Socol, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Adam Bismut, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shay Biton Hayun, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Itamar Tal, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Kasau Zegeye, Sgt. First Class (res.) Cedrick Garin; middle: Sgt. First Class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Matan Lazar, Cpt. (res.) Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal, Master Sgt. (res.), Elkana Vizel, Cpt. (res.) Nir Binyamin, Sgt. First Class (res.) Sagi Idan, Sgt. First Class (res.) Ahmad Abu Latif; bottom: Sgt. Maj. (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff, Sgt. First Class (res.) Nicholas Berger, Master Sgt. (res.) Yoav Levi, Sgt. First Class (res.) Yuval Lopez, Sgt. First Class (res.) Elkana Yehuda Sfez, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Sergey Gontmaher, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid.

We also pray for all of the soldiers who have died which now stands at 221 which includes these men who gave their lives today.

Can We Disagree On Politics and Unite Behind Israel?

In an article from The Times Of Israel a prominent evangelical pastor is critical of politicians who aren’t taking as strong of a stand for Israel and against antisemitism as he would like:

Pastor John Hagee, the influential pro-Israel evangelical leader, blasted Republicans for trafficking in “thinly veiled racism” and a “contagious viral strain of anti-American, anti-Christian, and antisemitic politics.”

Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, has long been associated with the pro-Israel right and has praised and endorsed a series of Republican presidential candidates, including Donald Trump. He gave a benediction at the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, and the following year, five Trump administration officials — including Vice president Mike Pence — spoke at CUFI’s annual conference.

Apparently that support for President Trump is gone:

But this year, Hagee distanced himself from Trump, delivering a prayer at the launch of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign. And on Monday, the eve of the Republican primary in New Hampshire, he published an op-ed in the Christian Post containing implied jabs at Trump, whom he did not mention by name.

The article mentioned this about the opinion piece:

Trump and his allies have championed the rioters who sought to overturn Biden’s 2021 election, and Trump has recently said immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country, language that resembles phrases in “Mein Kampf,” by Adolf Hitler. At a rally in December, Trump denied plagiarizing Hitler and said he had never read the book.

I can tell you that politicians and even Christian leaders can disagree on politics overall, but support for Israel can and should go above that. Hagee has valid points and I have no quibbles on his support of Nikki Haley if that is indeed who he likes, but both Haley and Trump are staunch supporters of Israel and that is a good thing.