Shalom all,

The number of IDF members killed in action since the beginning of the ground offensive is now up to 116.

Prayer for Urijah Bayer: I’m starting this post with a prayer request. Urijah (pronounced Uriah) Bayer, 20, was seriously wounded in a military operation in the Gaza Strip and is presently in the intensive care unit of Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva. He is suffering severe head wounds from shrapnel, is sedated and on a respirator. Urijah is a brother-in-the Lord and we know the family. Please keep him and his family in prayer. They are also requesting prayer for wisdom for the medical team that is treating him in light of his complex situation.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. Media has a way of distorting events to create an impression that is factually unfounded. Such is the case when reports filter in that the Hamas terrorist group may be prepared to recognize Israel, as a way to end the present Gaza War. Must Abu Marzouk, the deputy leader of the Hamas political bureau, speaking from Doha, the capital of Qatar, said earlier this week: “We seek to be part of the PLO and respect its commitments …You must follow the official position. The official position is that the “Palestine” Liberation Organization has recognized the State of Israel.” 

But, talk is cheap. Kobi Michael, a senior research fellow at Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), reported last year: “Hamas is more popular than Fatah. And Hamas perceives itself as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority. Abu Mazen (aka Mahmoud Abbas) has a very clear understanding in this regard…Viewing the gap between the two in a broader regional context helps explain why reconciliation is a pipedream…Hamas is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. That is one axis. The Palestinian Authority is part, or a component, of the Arab Sunni pragmatic axis, which is led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. These two camps are in a very bitter and bloody competition for hegemony and influence in the region.” (emphasis mine)

Maurice Hirsch, head of legal strategies at “Palestinian” Media Watch (PMW), agrees with much of Kobe Michael’s analysis, and adds that “each sees the other as illegitimate…Both organizations simply want to be the organization that’s running the PA…There are no real ideological differences between Fatah (the PLO) and Hamas. That has to be clearly understood. Both seek the destruction of Israel. Both believe in using violence to achieve that.” 

So, when we hear or read that Hamas now wants to reconcile with, and become part of, the PLO, in order to end the Gaza War, we should take such statements with a grain of salt. Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel and its ideology includes that Islam will rule the world, that it will annihilate the United States and conquer Europe. So much for the “religion of peace.”

It is of utmost importance that “the West” get a handle on the ideology of Hamas. Maybe if it does, it will finally begin to understand what Israel has been dealing with and why Hamas MUST be eliminated. MEMRI (The Middle East Media Research Institute) has compiled segments from MEMRI’ s TV archives that “include statements by top Hamas officials … as well as sermons and broadcasts on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV, on Islam’s future conquest of the West, elimination of the U.S. and future global takeover.” This should be sent to every politician in your respective countries. Maybe it will open their eyes to see what their ears refuse to hear.

Renewed hostage release negotiations? Reports are circulating of “informal, initial talks” to “formulate an outline for a new [hostage] deal” with Hamas. The assertion is that Israel asked Egypt to mediate a deal. This information is reported in today’s Times of Israel, which refers to a “London-based pan-Arab news site” that quotes “unnamed Egyptian sources. How’s that for getting at the facts? Pressure is increasing on the Netanyahu government to do more to bring about the release of the hostages. Actually, the demand of the relatives of the hostages, as well as some hostages who have been released in the prior deal, goes as far as wanting to release all “Palestinian” prisoners to get all of the hostages back. The likelihood of Israel agreeing to that is nil. And, while we should never say “never”, we need to keep in mind that the murderous Hamas organization stated earlier that there will be no further negotiations without the cessation of the fighting by Israel. The leftist news journal, Haaretz, reported yesterday, citing a source familiar with the contacts, that “Currently, there aren’t any ongoing negotiations for a deal. There are preliminary talks aimed at assessing whether both sides are willing to discuss terms for a new deal…An Israeli official estimated that Hamas might attempt to promote a deal in the coming days in an attempt to gain additional relief that would allow them to recover from setbacks in the battles against the IDF.” 

There’s the political word, and then there’s the truth. Earlier this week, U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned that Israel was “starting to lose support by the indiscriminately bombing that takes place” in the Gaza Strip. That comment was politically expedient and followed the voices of various governments that sought to compel Israel to unilaterally bring about a humanitarian ceasefire, because of the number of civilian casualties claimed by the Hamas-controlled Health Department in Gaza. 

But, yesterday, John Kirby, the U.S. National Security Council spokesman, told a different story. He expressed praise for the way in which Israel’s military acts to protect the civilians in Gaza. Among other things, he mentioned that the IDF warned residents in certain area before the IDF entered in pursuit of Hamas terrorists. “They have published online maps of places where people can go or not go. That’s basically telegraphing your punches!” And then he added: “There are very few modern militaries in the world that would do that. I don’t know that we would do that.”  He also mentioned that the IDF was adhering to the advice of the U.S., carrying out fewer airstrikes in the south than it did in the north, even carrying out the ground offensive in a manner less than what was originally planned. The world community continues to rumble and roar about the increasing number of civilian deaths resulting from the fighting, demanding that Israel “do more” to protect them. It  needs to be remembered that everything coming out of the mouths of Hamas officials, including the unverified reports of the Gaza Health Department, tends to be either a lie or totally exaggerated. And governments continue to “buy Hamas’s lies” – anything to accuse Israel of wrongdoing. John Kirby’s report should be sent to every nation that voted in favor of demanding that Israel effectuate a humanitarian ceasefire.

A few more months to finish the Gaza War. In a meeting with U.S. National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said that Israel needs between three to nine months to completely finish the war in the Gaza Strip. This is due, primarily, to the fact that it will take that much time to dismantle the vast terrorist infrastructure. This time frame continues to be at odds with the Biden Administration’s urgings to finish the war in the coming weeks. We’re in a “wait and see” mode, how Israel’s “allies” will respond to Israel’s need for time to finish the job the way it needs to be finished. But, in the end, whether they agree or not, we have no choice. Israel MUST dismantle Hamas. This does not need a lot of clarification.

Turkey’s Minister Died: Two days ago, in the post regarding the 67th day of the war, I mentioned that a Member of the Turkish Parliament, after a speech condemning Israel and saying that Israel would “suffer Allah’s wrath”. Further details of his speech have emerged, revealing that those comments were part of a condemnation of the Turkish government’s policy toward, and continuing trade with, Israel. He accused the government of having “the blood of “Palestinians” on your hands…You contribute to every bomb Israel drops in Gaza.” He died today. Could it be that following his diatribe against Israel, he “suffered Allah’s wrath”?

End of the Festival of Hanukkah. Tonight was the 8th day of Hanukkah and the lighting of the last candle. While the light from the candles has been extinguished, we remember that God called Israel to be a “light to the world”. This is no small task and we certainly cannot do it in our own strength. We need to be strong “in the Lord” and in the power of His might, not ours. And IF our ways are pleasing to the Lord, He will cause even our enemies to be at peace with us (Proverbs 16:7). A time is coming when nations “will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.” (Isaiah 2:4) May it be soon!

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin