GNITN – Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 29
Hamas, Hezbollah Are Given Warnings

A Strong Warning

In a briefing today, Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had a stern warning for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Gallant, who travelled to the north to assess things there paused and said this about the consistent attacks from Hezbollah in a report from i24news.tv (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1699107515-gallant-sinwar-s-error-sealed-hamas-s-fate-let-nasrallah-beware) :

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah against "making a fatal mistake," as he visited IDF troops in northern Israel, amid repeated rocked barrages by the Iran-backed terror militia.

“We are on the defensive in the north as we attack with full force in the Gaza Strip, this is our priority,” he said, in a statement circulated by his office.

“We are not looking to get into a war in the north, yet we are prepared for any task. The Air Force maintains most of its firepower for the Lebanese arena, against Hezbollah,” he says.

Gallant added that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “made a fatal mistake and sealed the fate of Hamas and the fate of Gaza. Should Nasrallah make a similar error, he will seal the fate of Lebanon."

Another Stern Warning To Hamas

Gallant also discussed their goals in Gaza, one of which is to kill Hamas leader and talked to the Gazans themselves in when he said this as seen in an article from The Messenger (see https://themessenger.com/news/israel-defense-minister-says-war-will-be-over-sooner-if-gazans-kill-hamas-leader-themselves) :

Israel’s defense minister said Gazans can cut the war unfolding in Gaza short if they kill the leader of Hamas themselves.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a press conference that Hamas militants are directly responsible for the war, according to a Times of Israel report from Saturday.

“The Hamas leadership is responsible. We will get to that leadership,” Gallant said. “We will get to [Hamas Gaza chief] Yahya Sinwar and eliminate him. If the residents of Gaza get there ahead of us, that will shorten the war.”

Israeli forces are hunting Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader they credit as the mastermind behind the initial October 7 attacks. Israeli leaders have been promising to take out Sinwar for weeks.

The article also mentions that the IDF will “complete the mission” even “if it takes a year.”

Thanks But No Thanks For The Advice

According to reports, the IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Herzi Halevi told the United States their advice could have made things worse if they heeded it. Here is an except from The Times Of Israel on those comments (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-04-2023/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site&utm_campaign=liveblog-november-04-2023#liveblog-entry-3144556) :

During a meeting yesterday of the war cabinet, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli leaders they must do more to ensure noncombatants in Gaza are not harmed in the fighting between Israel and Hamas terrorists, Channel 13 news reports.

Citing two sources familiar with the meeting, the network says IDF chief Herzi Halevi countered by telling Blinken there would be even more casualties if the military took the advice of American generals sent to advise Israel on the operation in Gaza.

The report also says that in meetings with Israeli leaders, Blinken stressed American backing for Israel is “wall-to-wall” but that “public opinion” is making it more difficult for the administration to extend such support.

Blinken is obviously referring to the increasing amount of pro-Hamas protests in America and perhaps around the world. In my opinion, pollical leaders from the top down need to start standing up to these misinformed folks and also use their influence on social media to give a more balanced view of things, something they are having a hard time doing.

Hamas Gets Tricky

Hamas tried to get their fighters out of Gaza in emergency ambulances along with the wounded but were caught when the list given them was vetted by Egyptian and American officials. Here is how The Times Of Israel details this chicanery (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-tried-to-send-fighters-to-egypt-in-ambulances-for-wounded-gazans-us-official/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site&utm_campaign=liveblog_entry) :

Hamas tried to sneak its fighters out of the Gaza Strip in ambulances that evacuated dozens of wounded Palestinians to Egypt earlier this week, a senior Biden administration official said Friday.

Hamas had compiled a list of the seriously wounded that it wanted to evacuate from Gaza for treatment in Egypt, along with thousands of foreign nationals looking to flee the enclave.

The list was then vetted by Egypt and the United States, which found that a third of the names on it were of Hamas fighters, the administration official said, adding that the list was rejected and none of the 76 wounded Palestinians who were ultimately evacuated in ambulances out of Gaza were members of the terror group.

And in another attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of those sending in humanitarian aid, we read this from the same article about oxygen concentrators hidden among boxes of cookies:

Meanwhile, two senior Israeli officials told The Times of Israel that Israeli inspectors earlier this week uncovered, hidden in an aid truck, several oxygen concentrators meant to aerate the tunnels operated by terror organizations in Gaza.

“These weren’t for use in the hospitals, but below them. That’s why they were smuggled among boxes of cookies,” one of the senior Israeli officials said, adding that the entire truck in which the oxygen concentrators were found was barred from entering Gaza.

The Israeli source for the revelation didn’t offer the name of the agency that packed the aid, most likely to give them time to expose how the concentrators were put in the packages.

Prayer Points For Israel In This Time Of War

I elected to take some time to pray for Israel now. Here are specific prayer points to take to God, which I found on a web site, Intercessors For Israel (see https://www.ifi.org.il/en/prayer/2023-11-03) which they update daily:

Operation Iron Sword

Shabbat's Torah portion has a promise from the Angel of God to Abraham that is very relevant in Israel's war against Hamas today: "By myself I have sworn, says YHWH, that because you have…not held back your only son, in blessing I will bless you …and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." (Gen. 22:16-17; cp. 24:60).

  1. God, in line with this promise, when the war is over let Israel possess all of Hamas' "gates" in Gaza.
  2. We rejoice that yesterday an IDF commander said that they were at Gaza City's gates (Isa. 55:11).
  3. You are a God of vengeance (Deut. 32:41-43; Psa. 79:10) who has used human armies throughout history as Your arm of vengeance, and so we ask You to use the IDF to take revenge on all those who have murdered – or who plan to murder – Your people (Isa. 34:8; Ezek. 25:12-17).
  4. Lord, guide Israel's war efforts against Hamas, including using unconventional methods (Isa. 30:21).
  5. Provide the IDF with all the equipment, courage, wisdom and protection it needs (Psa. 44:1-3).
  6. Also, supply the needs of every soldier's family anxiously waiting at home (1 Sam. 30:24).

Internal security:

  1. Israel is warring against terrorists in Judea and Samaria and having great success. Thankfully, the war against Hamas has kept much of this out of the headlines.
  2. Continue to make Israel's battle against Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria hugely successful as they capture or kill Hamas and other terrorists who are embed there (Obad. 1:18; Zech. 12:6).
  3. Send massive confusion and great fear into the hearts of all Palestinian terrorists who have a visceral hatred against Israel and the Jews (Psa. 40:14-15; Jer. 17:18; Ezek. 35:11-13).
  4. Expose and destroy all of their hiding places and weapons caches (Isa. 54:17a; Ezek. 32:26-27).
  5. Use our prayers as Gideon's trumpets and let these terrorists destroy each other (Judg. 7:21-22).

External security:

Iran is the mastermind behind most of the current military threats against Israel. Not only did they work for years with Hamas to plan the October 7th massacre, but they also control Hezbollah – their very dangerous proxy in Lebanon. The Iranian regime needs to be removed for the sake of Israel, the Iranians, the Lebanese, and the rest of the world.

  1. Lord, You are building Your throne in Elam – ancient Iran – through the miraculous growth of the Iranian Body of believers, and for this we bless and praise You (Jer. 49:38a). More, Lord!
  2. Now we ask You to fulfill the second part of that verse and destroy Iran's leaders (Jer. 49:38b).
  3. God Almighty let Iran's constant threats against Israel fall on their own heads (Job 4:8; Gal. 6:7).
  4. Let Your adversaries' pride in cursing Israel drive them to destruction (Num. 24:9b; Obad. 1:3-4).
  5. God, download Your strategy to the IDF's Iran Command to show Israel how to recompense Iran for being the human masterminds behind the massacre of Your people (Deut. 3239-43; Nah. 1:2).
  6. Reassure Israel with how You helped them to win every multi-front war against them – in 1948, in 1967 and in 1973 – and that You are still the same Almighty God of Israel today (1 Sam. 17:4; 2 Kin. 6:16-17; 2 Chr. 20:15; Psa. 3:1-8; 44:1-4; Mal. 3:6).
  7. Lord, have the last word in whether Hezbollah should war against Israel at this time (Psa. 33:10-11).

Amen, and Amen!