Week of May 20, 2025

Dual Israeli-American citizen Edan Alexander spent 584 days in Hamas captivity after he was taken on October 7, 2023 from his base near the Gaza border. The twenty-one-year-old was a lone soldier (his family was still in the United States) and had just started his military service with the Golani Brigade. He is the first male Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier to be released by Hamas. The other hostages with US citizenship have either been released or killed.

He became Hamas’ war pawn, and following the election of President Donald Trump, Alexander was moved to a “VIP” tunnel with senior Hamas leaders. Though he became a human shield for the senior Hamas officials, he was also fed much better. During the first months of his captivity, he was severely tortured and beaten. He was kept in a cage with his hands and feet bound, was not given adequate food, water, or medicine, and came home with bruises and flea bites all over his body.

He survived and was brought back to Israel for the joyous, tearful reunion with his family. He is being stabilized and his injuries cared for in hospital. Israel estimates that there are still twenty-three hostages alive in the tunnels under Gaza.

Please pray for Edan’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing from this horrific ordeal. Please pray for his family to feel closure for his freedom they worked so hard to achieve. 

The Eurovision Song Contest held this year in Basel, Switzerland was a gathering of European and neighboring countries to have a peaceful song competition. Israel has won the competition four times in the past and finished in the top five numerous times. It is watched by millions of viewers and comes with much national pride.

In the past years, especially the last two years, this event has become politicized with countries asking for Israel to be banned. Many form rabid demonstrations in the city streets and cause lots of disruptions, including booing during performances. The Israeli delegation has traveled with a very strict security protocol.

Regardless, Israel won second place, much to the joy and pride of the country. Israel received the most phone-in votes from the worldwide public but did not win enough “jury” votes to be placed first. Austria won first place. Despite what the media promotes about Israel-hatred, the amount of votes received, even from countries whose governments hate Israel, was surprising.

Israel was represented by Yuval Raphael, who sang “New Day Will Rise,” a song about her journey surviving Hamas’ murderous intent to kill as many people as possible on October 7, 2023. On that day, she called her father from a bomb shelter near the Nova music festival as Hamas terrorists kept shooting inside. Her father told her to “play dead.” She hid under dead bodies for eight hours before the IDF came to rescue the few remaining survivors.

It should be noted that at about 2:30 a.m., a few minutes after Yuval Raphael was announced as second place winner, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile at central Israel, sending millions from their beds to bomb shelters.

Please pray for the nation of Israel, trying to heal and move forward from the horrors, memories, and fears fueled by the attacks on October 7, 2023 and continuing to this day.

Yahya Sinwar, the former leader of Hamas, was killed in October of 2024. Hamas’ de facto new leader, Mohammed Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar’s brother, was recently killed in a precision hit on an underground tunnel command center in Gaza. The command center was placed precisely under the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Ten other high-ranking terrorists were killed including the commander of the Rafah Brigade. The chances that Hamas will agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal increases with Mohammed Sinwar’s death and the leadership vacuum of Hamas.

Please pray for the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations to be successful. 

At this time, the IDF has increased its presence in Gaza in a final bid to take down Hamas leadership, terrorists, and control centers deep underground. The IDF is looking for the hostages as well. Called “Operation: Gideon’s Chariots,” thousands of reservists and active-duty soldiers have returned for a fourth, fifth, or sixth round of duty, leaving behind wives, children, parents, and friends. All around the country there were many sad goodbyes during these last ten days. Many of the soldiers are believers—please pray they can be a light and strength to others. Please pray our Israel staff can be a support to the families left behind and a pillar to the soldiers from their communities while they are on their missions. Please pray for the soldier’s safety and quick return home. 

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