Week of April 14, 2026

On April 8, President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the US, Iran, and Israel. Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel and the Gulf States continued two hours after the announcement. Israel continued to target Iranian missile launchers until all the countries decided to cease. Those forty days caused a lot of damage, injury, and death in Israel. Twenty Israeli civilians and foreign nationals, plus four Palestinians in the West Bank, were killed; more than 7,000 people were injured. Over 5,500 Israelis were displaced because of the damage to their homes from missiles and shockwaves.

Altogether, there were 650 ballistic missiles launched at Israel. More than half of these were cluster bombs that spread smaller, individual warheads over a large distance, even though this weapon is banned by international laws. On the first day of war—February 28—Iran fired eighty missiles toward Israel; the following day, around sixty were launched, and on the third day, around thirty missiles were launched. After this, each day was met with an average of ten to twenty ballistic missiles sent to northern, central, or southern Israel. Sixteen missiles carried conventional warheads filled with hundreds of pounds of explosives, and struck civilian centers in Israel, causing massive damage.

Operation Roaring Lion was a joint campaign aiming to degrade the Iranian regime’s military capabilities, including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, requiring both the Israeli and US Air Forces to work together. The Israeli Air Force dropped over 18,000 bombs on military centers like air defense systems, ballistic missile launchers, weapon production sites, nuclear facilities, military headquarters, and command centers throughout Iran. They carried out around 8,500 sorties to Iran, as well as 10,800 separate strikes targeted at 4,000 locations.

Previously, Iran had 470 ballistic missile launchers; according to Israeli reports, sixty percent of them are now destroyed. At the start of the operation, Iran had 2,500 ballistic missiles, and now the Israel Defense Force (IDF) estimates that there are 1,000 still launchable. It seems that 85% of Iran’s air defense and detection systems have been destroyed.

The United States mostly focused on striking Iran’s nuclear facilities. The IDF carried out several similar strikes, including efforts during the Twelve Day War in June 2025. After the defensive maneuvers, Israel shifted to Iran’s “economic targets” such as steel factories and key portions of bridge, rail, and gas infrastructure. All these locations were linked to weapons or nuclear involvement.

Please pray for the ceasefire to hold.

In recent weeks, Lebanon President Joseph Aoun has made repeated requests for direct negotiations with Israel focused on disarming Hezbollah and creating better relations between Lebanon and Israel. This past week, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced talks to be held as soon as possible in the effort to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is an Iranian terror proxy that has used southern Lebanon as its launching point to send mortars, shells, and rockets into civilian areas of Israel. Hezbollah is not Lebanese; they are sponsored by Iran and have taken over many small villages along the border with Israel. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has crossed the border into southern Lebanon in their efforts to create a buffer zone.

Details have not been established, but once negotiations begin, the US Ambassador to Lebanon will mediate the talks between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States. The Trump administration has asked the Lebanese government to “first act seriously to disarm Hezbollah, and then we’ll talk with Israel.” President Trump has also asked Israel to lower the number of strikes by the Israeli Air Force on Hezbollah and subsequently on Lebanon.

Please pray for future negotiations with Lebanon, as both countries want Hezbollah disarmed and removed. 

From sunset on April 13 to sunset on April 14, Israel observes Holocaust Remembrance Day as a period of national mourning. A long siren blasted at 10 a.m. this morning, and the country comes to a standstill for two minutes. Cars, buses, pedestrians, workers, and school children usually stop whatever they are doing and solemnly stand to remember the millions who were lost.

At this time, the global Jewish population is at 15.8 million, which is still below pre-World War II numbers. In 1939, the Jewish population was 16.6 million. Currently, around 7.2 million (45% of the global Jewish population) lives in Israel, and 6.3 million (40%) live in the US, forming a combined 85% of the global Jewish population. Other countries like France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Germany, Russia, and Australia have small but significant Jewish populations.

There are around 111,000 Holocaust Survivors and victims of antisemitic persecution living in Israel. Around 37% are 80–85 years old, around 35% are aged 86 to 89, and approximately 28% are aged 90 or older. Interestingly, of the married survivors, 18,700 are married to another survivor. Only 6% immigrated to Israel before Israel’s founding in 1948, and 30.2% arrived to Israel between 1952–1989. Over 33% arrived in the 1990s after the walls of the Soviet Union fell.

Please pray for these survivors who have endured so much. Please pray that their remaining years are filled with joy and that they would be surrounded by many who love and appreciate them. Pray especially that they will enter into a saving relationship with Jesus, their Messiah.

Although there is a temporary “ceasefire” between the US and Israel with Iran, this does not mean life has returned to normal. Hezbollah has still been firing rockets and armed drones against civilians in northern Israel. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are affected by these attacks and run to seek shelter in their bomb shelters or crouch in their stairwells hour after hour, day after day. In central and southern Israel, adults are going back to work and kids are going back to school, and people meet in coffee shops. However, it feels surreal, and uneasiness lingers behind efforts to act like everything is okay. Meanwhile, one of our ministry staff says:

As I write this, many people around the world feel that the war in Israel is mostly over and that life is getting back to normal. I can tell you firsthand that this is not the case. This is especially true of the Israeli army reserves who are still serving their country and are on guard day and night. Recently, we made another delivery of supplies to the Gaza envelope and found out the new reality of these brave reserve soldiers.

Ari* has been on duty for over a year and a half. He has been injured twice and has seen forty of the men that he commanded die on the battlefield. When he saw me, he recognized me from last year and gave me the biggest bear hug. He told me about the lack of supplies and noted that the supplies the army gives last only about three months due to the wear and tear of a reservist’s life. Boots wear out. Protective vests shatter after being hit more than twice. Cold weather clothing becomes less effective after a harsh winter. Ari and his men greatly appreciated the supplies that we delivered.

We shared our faith and the gospel with him and the men that he brought along. We let them know that the money for these goods came from evangelical Christians in the United States who love Israel and pray for them. Now these men in army uniforms are a little better equipped and have heard of the good news of the Messiah of Israel. Please pray for their safety and their salvation.

God’s timing for ministry moments is always perfect. Usually, we just have to trust the precision of His timing, but occasionally, He lets us see the beauty of it from our perspective too. For example, another member of our staff—who is also a reserve IDF soldier—had a divine opportunity to minister to other soldiers recently. He shares:

I had the privilege of leading worship at a soldiers’ conference shortly before the war with Iran started. It was a powerful time to worship alongside men who are carrying so much physically, mentally, and emotionally. Please pray for these soldiers: for protection, for strength, and for God to draw near to them personally. Pray that what was planted in worship would continue to grow.

God revealed His faithfulness and right timing yet again, this time regarding an elderly Jewish friend we have been ministering to, for whom many have prayed in the past. Our missionary reports:

Oleysa* recently went to be with the Lord, shortly after she was reunited with her family living here in Israel. Our staff is very sad to miss her but at the same time we praise the Lord for His mercies. Thankfully, she knew Yeshua (Jesus) personally and now is resting in His everlasting arms. Please pray for her family to find Yeshua and His comfort in this difficult time.

Another ministry worker has a somewhat humorous story to share about how God’s goodness and timing work together, even across the globe. She says:

A while back, when I was visiting Japan, I had a conversation with Tova*, an Israeli woman. We were at a Shabbat dinner hosted by Chosen People Ministries staff and local believers in Tokyo. After the meal, some of us played a card game that encourages sharing parts of each of our life stories. Naturally, mine pointed to Jesus and His impact on my life. Tova was curious and asked many questions. She said she had gotten into yoga and meditation to try to connect with her spiritual side, and she had never heard of a Jewish person believing in Jesus before. Because she and I both enjoy art and creative things, I shared how God is the ultimate Creator. Now that we are both back in Israel—especially with missiles flying overhead—we have messaged, met up, and continue to have conversations about Jesus. This is an important time to keep in touch. Please pray for Tova to see Jesus not just as “an option among others,” but as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Finally, we are “redeeming the time” by gearing up for two things:

1. The “Living Waters” conference to encourage and train young adult Israeli believers
2. Another round of children’s summer camps—over 20 years now!—to reach believing and non-believing families with the message of hope, life, and salvation in Messiah Yeshua

Pray for all involved to know God more intimately and personally, and to walk with Him in humility and truth. Thank you for praying, standing with us, and being part of what God is doing!

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