GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 273

More Prayers Needed

Do We Have A Deal?

Apparently Hamas is signaling that they are accepting a new hostage deal as we see in a report from i24news.tv:

A Hezbollah official said on Friday the terror group would cease fire on Israel as soon as any Gaza ceasefire agreement takes effect, echoing previous statements from the group. Meanwhile a report claimed a Hamas delegation in Lebanon informed their fellow jihadists that they decided to accept a proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal with Israel, though the details still have to be resolved.

The report, citing an unnamed U.S. official, said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah welcomed the development.

Can we trust Hezbollah? We read a little more about this news including that Hamas sees a way to end the fighting:

A Hezbollah statement said Nasrallah received Hamas deputy chief Khalil Al-Hayya for a meeting earlier Friday, which saw the terror chiefs review “the latest security and political developments” in the Gaza Strip.

“They also discussed the latest developments in the ongoing negotiations these days, their atmosphere, and the proposals presented to reach an end to the treacherous aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.

Personally I watch what Israel is saying about any deal and we get a little on that from an article from The Jerusalem Post:

An Israeli delegation led by Mossad director David Barnea has returned from Doha on Friday night after meeting with Qatari mediators over Gaza ceasefire talks.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the talks were only an initial meeting, and the delegation will return to Doha next week to resume talks. The statement also said that there were still gaps between the two sides that needed to fixed in order to reach an agreement.

Progress is apparently being made at least in the first phase of any agreement if Hamas agrees to leave the war ending demand until later:

Netanyahu agreed to dispatch a team to Doha for talks on Thursday after Hamas appeared to drop its upfront demand that Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire before a three-stage hostage deal got underway.

As we heard yesterday and even today, if a ceasefire starts with Hamas, Hezbollah will also stop fighting:

One of the sources, a Hezbollah official, told Reuters that the group would cease-fire as soon as any Gaza ceasefire agreement takes effect, echoing previous statements from the group. "If there is a Gaza agreement, then from zero hour there will be a ceasefire in Lebanon," the official said.

Tying the fate of both war fronts to these negotiations also means the exact opposite, though. If Israel is still intent on destroying Hamas, Hezbollah will ramp up their attacks. This formula isn’t new and is actually prophesied in the Bible.

Two Leaders Talk

We learn about a conversation between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu, who agreed to talk after another hostage deal sparked hope in an article from the Jerusalem News Syndicate:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening informed U.S. President Joe Biden of his decision to dispatch a delegation to continue negotiations to free 120 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu once again made it clear that their goals are unchanged:

The prime minister “reiterated the principles that Israel is committed to, especially its commitment to end the war only after all of its goals have been achieved,” according to an Israeli readout of the call.

Netanyahu has defined his government’s war goals as returning all of the hostages, eliminating Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat.

None of this is real news since Netanyahu said the same thing to anyone willing to listen. The article then told us how we got to things before the phone meeting:

On Wednesday, Hamas presented proposed changes to the hostages-for-ceasefire framework outlined by Biden in May.

Jerusalem had immediately accepted the original Biden proposal, which Netanyahu stressed does not call for a permanent end to the war sparked by Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre of some 1,200 people.

Hamas rejected the Biden proposal, demanding a “permanent” end to the conflict and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Getting back to the conversation we read that Biden was pleased that the PM was sending a team to reignite the talks:

During their call Thursday, Biden “welcomed [Netanyahu’s] decision to authorize his negotiators to engage with U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators in an effort to close out the deal,” per a White House readout.

Biden also made sure to mention that Israel continues to have the support of America:

Biden also “reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security including in the face of threats from Iranian-backed terrorist groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah.”

Although nothing of any substance seemed to come from the call, the two leaders exchanged pleasantries:

Finally, Netanyahu congratulated Biden and the American people on their Independence Day.

“Without the U.S. there would be no freedom in the world,” the prime minister said, while Biden noted that “without Israel there would be no security for Jews in the world,” according to the Israeli statement.

Other reports point to the two meeting when Netanyahu comes to the United States to speak to a joint session of Congress later this month. Both leaders can commiserate about them having pressure to step down for different reasons. However, what is needed in the spiritual realm is support for Israel as they work to stop the terrorist threats around them and strangely that can also mean praying for the United States leadership to not relent in their support and help.

Prayer Keys

Here are more ways to continue to intercede for Israel:

  • Use that debate to warn Israelis how the current US administration under Biden is not dependable, and turn them to trust in You alone (Psa. 20:7; Isa. 31:1; Rom. 8:28).
  • Give Netanyahu and Israel's diplomats wisdom in dealing with America as no one knows how much longer Biden will be in office or if he will even run in the next election (Job 34:24; Psa. 75:6-7).
  • Do not allow Israelis to view Trump as a "savior" if he becomes the next US president (Jer. 17:5-6).
  • Lord God, if it is 100% Your will for Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of the US Congress on July 24th then use him as Your mouthpiece to bring forth truth out of Zion (Mic. 4:2).
  • Abba, watch over Psalm 33:10-11 against a world that is becoming more anti-Israel daily (Jer. 1:12).
  • Lord, fulfill Isaiah 66:4 from Shabbat's prophetic portion over both the UN and every other nation or NGO who deals with Your nation in an unbiblical and disrespectful manner (Gen. 12:3a).
  • Anoint Danny Danon afresh as he again becomes Israel's UN Ambassador (Prov. 13:17b; 28:20a).
  • Continue to use Amichai Chikli, Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs, as a true son of Zion among the nations and empower him to have more of a positive influence in Israel as well (Psa. 75:5-7).
  • God, show believers how to warn their nations that You will not be mocked, and if those nations push Israel to divide Your land, their societies will see even deeper divisions (Joel 3:1-2; Gal. 6:7).
  • Lord of hosts, thank You that Israel has increased the intensity of its attacks and is close to ending this stage of the war (Eccl. 8:11).
  • Send forth Your strategy on how the IDF must battle against Hamas who will now be fighting as a guerilla army (Josh. 4:13-5:5; 2 Sam. 5:17-25; Prov. 21:31).
  • Gracious Father, continue to guard Israel's soldiers against enemy fire and booby-traps, and protect them against friendly fire and all other deadly accidents (Psa. 35:1; 121:3-4; 140:7).
  • Guide Israel to fulfill its biblical obligation to eliminate all Hamas leaders, regardless of where they are, as they are guilty of the murder of thousands of Israelis (Ex. 21:14; Num. 35:16-21; 1 Tim. 1:9).
  • Give wisdom to Israel's leaders to know what Israel must do to set its hostages free (Num. 21:1-3).
  • All-seeing God, show the IDF where all the remaining hostages are, living or dead (Isa. 49:24-26).
  • Lord, expose every terror tunnel connecting Rafah and Egypt, and every other undiscovered tunnel throughout Gaza (Ex. 15:11-12; Psa. 139:12; Obad. 1:6).
  • Abba, empower Israel's elected officials, and not the leaders of the IDF, to decide Israel's policies over Gaza after the war (1 Chr. 12:38; Dan. 2:21; 4:17).