[Today's Prayer] Dramatic extension agreement with 10 minutes left before the end of the ceasefire

Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend the temporary ceasefire, which lasted until 7 a.m. on the 30th (local time), for another 24 hours. The two sides engaged in a war of nerves until the end over the list of hostages and prisoners to be exchanged when the ceasefire was extended. The dramatic agreement reached with 10 minutes to go before the end of the cease-fire shows that the uneasy peace is barely continuing.

According to Reuters, Israel and Hamas agreed to stop fighting until 7 a.m. on December 1 and exchange Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel at a ratio of one to three. The Israeli military said, "We have decided to continue the ceasefire in consideration of the efforts of the arbitrators to continue the process of releasing the hostage and the terms of the existing agreement," and Hamas also confirmed this. As a result, the ceasefire, which began on the 24th, will continue for seven days after two extensions.

The two sides failed to reach a point of agreement even up until 10 minutes before the end of the ceasefire and started to move on to resume the war. According to the Times of Israel and others, Hamas has offered to return seven hostages and three bodies instead of releasing 10 hostages per day, which was the condition of the existing ceasefire. "The Israeli cabinet has unanimously decided that it will immediately start fighting unless Hamas submits a new list of releases," the Israeli Daily ‘Hayom’ reported.

Local media reported that the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt tried to persuade Hamas, and the agreement was reached as Hamas rewrote the list of eight released people. Hamas released 10 Israelis, four Thais and two Russians the day before, and reportedly insisted on handing over eight first based on the fact that two Russians are dual citizens of Israel.

The agreement put out the urgent fire, but there are still many mountains to overcome. Israel says Hamas can continue the ceasefire if it releases 10 hostages a day, but it is not known exactly how many hostages Hamas has available for release. Earlier, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs also explained, "The extension of the ceasefire depends on securing additional hostages for Hamas to release in the future."

However, it is positive that the Palestinian Gaza militant group, Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is seen trying to meet Israeli requirements, including handing over some of the hostages they were holding to Hamas on the 28th. "Hamas has informed the mediators that it intends to extend the ceasefire by an additional four days and that it can exchange Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners under the terms of the existing ceasefire," a source told AFP.

The internal situation in Israel, which is pressuring the resumption of the war, is also a problem. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right figure, issued an explanation on the 28th, threatening to withdraw from the coalition if the war is not resumed, saying, "The end of the war is the collapse of the government." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to appease him, saying, "There will be no situation where the fighting will not resume until the end." An anonymous Cabinet official told the New York Times (NYT), "Prime Minister Netanyahu (who has lost his approval rating) will not want to hold a general election again," adding that he had no choice but to embrace Minister Ben-Gvir.

Another limitation is that neither Israel nor Hamas show an active attitude toward a complete peace settlement. According to the US media Axios, US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on the 26th and expressed concern about the possibility of an Israeli military operation against southern Gaza after the temporary ceasefire ends. However, Netanyahu rejected the U.S. demand, saying, "To achieve the goal of Hamas extinction, we need an operation in the south." Hamas also issued a statement just before the end of the ceasefire, saying, "If the ceasefire period is not extended, we are ready to fight Israel again."

In Jerusalem, two gunmen opened fire at a bus stop at around 7:50 a.m., just an hour after the news of the ceasefire extension agreement was announced, killing three and injuring six others. Hamas issued a statement later in the day, saying the suspects in the shooting were its members and that it was "a response to crimes committed by occupation forces." "It proves once again why we can only communicate with Hamas through war," said hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The key is the role of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Israel. Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, on the same day. "Discussions will take place on extending the temporary ceasefire and expanding humanitarian aid to Gaza," the BBC said.

(Omitted)

This means that it is unknown how the situation will develop if Secretary Blinken returns to the United States.

Srouce : Kyunghyang Shinmun

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

God, who is father of Israel and Palestine, the church is praying together with broken hearts seeing the unstable peace that is continuing on between these two nations.

Lord, may the war of hate end quickly and now may these two nations confess that Yeshua, You are the one and only true peace.

The world operates according to what is best for them and what will benefit them rather than saving souls. They are choosing what is immediately more important. However, we believe that You who love these two nations so much will lead these two nations to You!

With the great love of God, would You change this long conflict and war between Israel and Palestine to be the beginning of the two peoples' history of salvation and remembering Yeshua's name and return!

May the truce not just be a truce that is barely a truce, but may the closed wall between the two be completely broken in God. Let it be a nation that confesses Yeshua and fully restore it’s identity!