Week of September 9, 2026

On September 1, 2.6 million Israeli children went back to school. Over 180,000 children started first grade, and 143,000 began twelfth grade—their final year. For the first time in three years, many Gaza border community schools, as well as schools along the northern Israel and Lebanon borders, opened their doors. All in all, there are 5,957 schools and 21,800 kindergarten facilities throughout the country.

The schools will spend these beginning days creating a sense of belonging and trust, as well as strengthening the social connections between students and teachers. Effort will be made to make sure everyone is included so that there is no bullying or ostracism (whether in person or on-line), as well as to prevent violence.

For those from the Gaza border communities, it is a major milestone to be returning home and entering a safe school environment after three years of evacuation and repeated moves. The same can be said of schools in the north. In the city of Metula, very close to the border with Lebanon, its school is reopening after being closed for three years. It was continuously hit by Hezbollah; the school structure was ruined after sitting empty for so long, so it required extensive rehabilitation. The region recruited new teaching staff and opened its doors to children from neighboring communities. The government offered generous grants to attract teachers to relocate to the area, adding new life to the community

Please pray for those children who are starting new schools in the communities that were evacuated because of war, both in the south and north. Pray that the students and teachers would settle into a safe, secure academic environment that is also socially fulfilling.

Recently, there have been two surprise drills in the Eilat area, Israel’s southern-most city. Operation Dawn 2.0 was launched under the command of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir to test the military’s “heat of the moment” readiness and ability to respond to large scale attacks. The drill was also intended to increase the country’s defense preparations ahead of the upcoming holidays. Commanders from all units were called up, and standing army forces and reserve units were mobilized. The drill incorporated surprise scenarios and multi-scene events.

Another new operation began, Operation Advancing the Wall, that engages the 80th Division. This surprise operation aimed to test the readiness of the military for a large-scale October 7 type of attack. Israel’s air, naval, and additional security forces were engaged throughout the city of Eilat, its port, and the desert outskirts; they worked through the surprise attack and developed multi-scene incidents. Their goal was to retain public order, control traffic, and provide rapid, coordinated responses across every area of the military.

Please pray for the readiness and response of the IDF to be able to successfully defend the nation in case of a surprise attack.

Two Israeli researchers, Dr. Abed Agbarya—director of the oncology department at Bnei Zion Medical Center—and Dr. Yuval Ebenstein of Tel Aviv University have created a simple, affordable blood test that quickly diagnoses lung cancer. So far in peer reviews, it can detect cancer in 93% of stage two, three, and four cancer cases. Trials are currently being held in several hospitals in Israel and Europe. If the cancer is caught in the early stages, there is a greater chance for treatment. Most early-stage lung cancers are not caught because the patient rarely presents symptoms. Once the cancer has progressed, treatment rarely works because by then the cancer has spread.

“Lung cancer is one of the most fatal cancers and one of the most common cancers,” said Dr. Abed Agbarya. “Most people arrive in the last stages of the disease. If we can discover the disease in its early stages, we can go to surgery. We can go to a full cure. The five-year survival rate would be much better.”

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. About 2,000 Israelis die from the disease each year, while the cancer kills 1.8 million people around the world every year.

Dr. Agbarya is responsible for the clinical arm of the research, while Dr. Ebenstein leads the chemical and technological development of the blood test. “We combine chemistry and physics to provide solutions,” Ebenstein said. “We realized that chemical changes in DNA characterize different tumors,” he said. “We invented a chemical reaction that lights up these chemical changes. We took a bunch of little DNA molecules out of the bloodstream. We labeled them and tracked the light they emitted, which signified the chemical changes caused by the cancer. Each spot gives off a different level of light based on its chemical makeup and the different amounts of chemical change. The grid on the glass looks like a tiny QR code.” The next step is the computational part, Ebenstein said, during which the scientists connect the pattern of light to a pattern of the disease. “We were then able to accurately detect stage 2–4 lung cancer,” he said. “The test is designed to give solutions to low-income countries because it’s very simple and doesn’t need a lot of infrastructure,” Ebenstein said. “We’re hoping that it could be integrated into routine blood tests.”

Please pray for this development in lung cancer detection to find and treat the cancer before the it grows and spreads,

This year, our ministry has had many children’s camps and opportunities for families to hear about Jesus, especially this past summer! During the camps and outings, we share from God’s Word, engage in crafts and games, and take the time to listen and care for these children. Now that the school year has begun, please use these prayer pointers to pray for Israel’s children:

• Please pray for the safety, well-being and security of the children.
• Please pray for those who are still struggling with the traumas of war.
• Please pray for those who are lonely and have a hard time finding friendships.
• Please pray against bullying and violence.
• Please pray for their success and confidence in their studies.
• Please pray for the teachers and leaders to make wise decisions and show good character.
• Please pray for those who will begin their last year of school and will soon be drafted into military service.
• Please pray for the children who believe in Jesus, that their witness would be strong and for others to see their life lived out for the Lord.

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