[Today’s Prayer] Israel announces entry into the southernmost part of Gaza: “Operation will continue even if hostage negotiations”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who has conquered the northern and central parts of the Palestinian Gaza Strip and is besieging the southernmost city of Rafah, announced that he would deploy troops regardless of the hostage negotiations. He emphasized that in order to destroy Hamas, military action must be taken even if there are 1.4 million refugees.
According to the Israeli English-language newspaper Times of Israel, Netanyahu held a press conference in Jerusalem on the 17th (local time).
“Those who want to stop military operations in Rafah are essentially telling us to ‘lose the war.’ “I will not let that happen,” he said. He continued, “We will not give in to any pressure.”
After the Gaza Strip armed political faction Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year, Israel deployed ground forces to the Gaza Strip in the latter half of the same month to carry out an operation to eradicate Hamas.
Currently, the Israeli army has controlled most of the northern and central parts of the country and is besieging the southernmost town of Rafah, adjacent to Egypt. Refugees from the Gaza Strip who cannot cross the border are gathered in Rafah, and 1.4 million people out of the total population of about 2.3 million in the Gaza Strip are concentrated there, so a huge loss of life is expected during military operations.
Ahead of the advance on Rafah, Israel has been negotiating a truce and release of hosts with Hamas through mediation between the United States, Egypt, and Cairo since last month. Hamas killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped about 240 in an attack on Israel on October 7 last year, and released about 100 child and female hostages through a temporary ceasefire in November last year. It is estimated that there are currently about 130 hosts remaining in the Gaza Strip, but about 50 of them are known to have already died.
Netanyahu rejected the terms of negotiations presented by Hamas on the 7th of this month, and the Israeli negotiators warned on the 13th that they would proceed with the Rafah offensive if the fire ceased negotiations broke down during the negotiations in Cairo, Egypt.
But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. (Luke 5:24-25)
God of life, you who forgive sins.
You are the father of all nations that are suffering
Now they're fighting the war with hostage methods, the conflict and anger toward each other are only reddening as the radius of Palestinians are getting narrower.
The neighboring countries ask Israel to negotiate but even that was refused, and we hear that they are expecting great heavy casualties.
Lord, how much more of the two nations pain and suffering the global church desires to be like a friend of a paralytic and bring these two nations before Yeshua, the savior
Would you allow more global churches to pray and worship for these two peoples.
Let the Holy Spirit be poured over the global churches, so a path for them to live can be opened.
Would you allow the gospel of life to be delivered to every broken and desperate soul in the war, let them walk away from the place of hatred, anger and death, which has been the king of their life, and give glory to the Lord.
Let this be the time of grace where you wipe away all their tears and they will long for the glorious Lord who will come to this land once again.
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