Week of September 29, 2026

A potential new approach to celiac disease treatment is emerging from Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva Pharmaceuticals. Its experimental antibody injection, TEV ‘408, showed encouraging results in a recent phase 2a clinical trial helping protect the intestinal lining and limiting signs of inflammation despite gluten exposure.

Affecting approximately 1% of people worldwide, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. For people with the condition, eating gluten can cause the immune system to attack and damage the lining of the small intestine, interfering with nutrient absorption and potentially leading to complications such as anemia, osteoporosis, fatigue, weight loss, and digestive problems.

In a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, fifty adults with celiac disease were randomly assigned to receive a single injection of either TEV ‘408 or placebo. Two weeks later, participants began six weeks of daily gluten consumption. Researchers examined the injection’s ability to protect the intestinal lining despite regular gluten exposure. Eight weeks after the injection, the average decline in intestinal health was 0.43 among TEV ‘408 patients compared with 0.88 among placebo patients.

The antibody also appeared to reduce intestinal inflammation. For example, immune-cell density, a marker of inflammation in the intestinal lining, increased by 27.6 in the placebo group but barely changed among those treated with TEV ‘408. Patients who received the injection also reported fewer gastrointestinal symptoms. The antibody was generally well tolerated.

“A strict gluten-free diet has long been the only option for people living with celiac disease,” said Dr. Eric Hughes, Teva’s executive vice president of global research and development and chief medical officer. For patients, strict adherence means avoiding even trace amounts of gluten and the risk of cross-contamination as no medication has been available to treat or relieve the condition. “These results underscore the potential to move beyond managing gluten exposure and address celiac disease at its biological source.”

For the medical community and people living with celiac disease, these results represent an encouraging development in the search for new treatment options. Although additional analyses from Teva’s clinical trials are still needed, TEV ‘408’s progression toward U.S. regulatory review could mark a meaningful advance in addressing the persistent need for treatments that offer people with celiac disease options beyond the current approaches.

Praise the Lord for the encouraging possibilities raised by this early research for people living with celiac disease. Please join us in praying that the clinical trials in Israel and the United States will continue to produce clear results and that researchers will have wisdom and discernment as they evaluate the treatment’s potential.

A terrorist used a child to transport weapons into a civilian home in central Gaza in what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said was a violation of international law, according to footage released by the military.

“The terrorist exploited the child, using him as a human shield to transfer the weapons, in an attempt to prevent the IDF from striking and thwarting their transfer,” the IDF in a statement on Sunday afternoon. “Upon identifying the presence of a child, the IDF refrained from carrying out any strikes against the terrorist.”

In addition, on Sunday, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), working alongside Lahav 433’s Gideonim Unit 33, announced the elimination of Hamas operative Saher Nidal Latfi Sakr in a targeted operation. On October 7, 2023, Sakr abducted Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or from the Nova Music Festival and transported them to Gaza as hostages on the back of a motorcycle.

Sakr was affiliated with global jihadist organizations operating in Gaza and supplied Hamas with weapons during the war while advancing attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.

Pray for the children, families, believers in Jesus, dissidents, and civilians in Gaza who suffer under Hamas, particularly those who refuse to participate in or support its terrorism. Pray for three miraculous changes: that civilians would become increasingly unwilling to cooperate with or submit to Hamas, that courageous resistance to terrorism would emerge, and that Hamas would ultimately be overthrown.

For Jewish people around the world, this year’s High Holy Days have brought an extraordinary and heartwarming story. Ben Hassin, an Israeli-Canadian citizen, was released after eleven years in Iraqi prisons, where he had faced the possibility of execution. On Sunday, he came home to Jerusalem after more than a decade away, arriving just as the Jewish community prepared to observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. He made his way to the Western Wall to pray.

Hassin, who is Jewish and of Kurdish heritage, was approximately twenty years old when he traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan in 2015 to visit relatives. While there, he joined a Kurdish militia engaged in the fight against ISIS. His circumstances took a dramatic turn when a taxi driver, having learned that Hassin was Jewish, allegedly threatened to hand him over to ISIS. Hassin responded by shooting the driver. He was arrested, later found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death.

The death sentence was lifted last year after a pardon was granted. His release was ultimately secured through a reconciliation agreement with the family of the deceased taxi driver.

Footage shared on social media captures Hassin breaking down in a car. After eleven years of waiting, he is finally home. “I can’t believe it. I’ve waited so long for this day,” he says, visibly moved.

Praise God for Ben Hassin’s release, and pray with us for his healing and that he encounters the reconciliation and restoration found in Jesus.

An Israeli staff member recently spoke about a bold encounter to share about Jesus. In a recent meeting, Dr. Mitch Glaser, President of Chosen People Ministries, encouraged the Israeli staff to be courageous. He challenged us to be purposeful and intentional in our local friendships by asking our friends if they would be interested in studying the Bible together or talking about spiritual matters. Here is the testimony of our courageous staff member:

Initially, my wife and I had some concerns, but we decided to pray for boldness and step out in faith. I decided to ask our neighbor if he wanted to study the Bible together. We are already good friends, and he regularly asks us questions about our faith in Jesus.

Because our neighbor keeps the Sabbath, he does not have much to do on Saturdays, so he readily agreed to study on me that day. He said he knows the weekly Torah portion well, which is a portion from one of the first five books of the Old Testament that is read each week in Jewish communities, so I suggested that we read the Haftarot, the weekly readings from the Prophets and Writings, together.

We met for the first time on that Saturday, six weeks ago. I was delighted that the reading happened to be Isaiah 49. He is well educated, but Isaiah is difficult to understand in Hebrew, so we read every word of the passage and discussed it together. I challenged him to consider the wider context, beginning in Isaiah 40, and to think about the identity of the “servant” described throughout those chapters.

The following week, we were reading Isaiah 51 when he skipped ahead to Isaiah 54, as is customary in synagogues. As we had been talked about the “servant,” I pointed out that Isaiah 53 clearly identifies the servant as one who suffers. We eagerly read the entire passage together and had a meaningful discussion about why he thinks the rabbis leave this chapter out of the weekly reading cycle.

Recently, he stopped me while we were out walking our dogs and, clearly still thinking about our previous conversations, asked, “If the passage in Isaiah talks about the Messiah, what does that mean exactly? Why is it important for me?” We have continued discussing the divine nature of the Messiah and how the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, gives us clues about who He is, where He is from, and when He would appear.

My prayer is that as he continues to search the Scriptures, he will encounter not only the truth about the Messiah, but the Messiah Himself, and discover the hope and reconciliation found in Jesus.

Would you please pray with us for continued opportunities to have open and meaningful conversations? Pray that we would have greater boldness and that God would open doors for us to talk with others about the Messiah. Please also pray for those we meet that their hearts and minds would be open and receptive to the message of Jesus.

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