When Hamas took over control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, it established its Legislative Council in a building that came under the exclusive use and control of Hamas since then.

The IDF’s Golani Brigade today captured and took over the Hamas parliament building. Attached is a photo of the unit in the hall of the Legislative Council, holding an Israeli flag. THIS IS A MAJOR VICTORY FOR THE IDF AND AN EMBARRASSMENT AND SERIOUS “LOSS OF FACE” FOR HAMAS.

Also, the IDF took over the Rantisi Children’s Hospital, where some of the hostages were held. In the basement of the hospital, they found significant weaponry in one of the rooms, which seriously endangered the well-being of those being treated in the hospital. They also found a hatch leading to a tunnel built under the hospital. Funding for the hospital came, in part, from The World Health Organization. The IDF reasonably believes that the very young children who were taken hostage were held in the basement of the hospital.

It is clear that if, in fact, some of the youngest hostages were being held in Rantisi Hospital, they have been moved, possibly to one of the other two hospitals in Gaza, or worse, to other locations within the vast tunnel system. It is worth repeating that the taking of civilian hostages, including children, is a war crime! If there was any doubt before, it should be clear now that any halt in the fighting will undoubtedly enable Hamas to move the hostages as far away from the iDF as possible. 

We STILL don’t know where the hostages are, or how they are. In short, despite the military successes in the Gaza War, we STILL have NO INFORMATION about the hostages. This is OUR HUMANITARIAN CRISIS.

We need to continue to pray for victory against the forces of evil from our southwestern border.

Marvin