Israel At War – Day 47
Ceasefire And Hostage Agreement

Cabinet Vote Confirms Pause For Hostages

At 10 am Thursday in Israel, hostages will be released and a ceasefire or pause in the war will start. This was possible after the Israel War cabinet voted to agree to the terms late last night their time. We learn more about this in an article from The Times Of Israel (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/release-of-50-abducted-women-children-to-begin-10-a-m-thursday-israeli-official/) :

The release of some 50 Israeli hostages — children, their mothers, and other women — held by Hamas will begin Thursday at 10 a.m., a senior Israeli official told reporters on Wednesday evening.

Israel on Wednesday evening received the list of hostages to be freed on Thursday, according to Hebrew media reports. A US official told reporters on Tuesday that Hamas produced a list with identifying information about the 50 women and children it plans to release over the coming days.

The Israeli official confirmed in a briefing that hostages will be released in groups of 12-13 people, and that Hamas has committed to release 50 hostages in the next four days. Channel 12 news reported that Thursday’s release window can extend until 4 p.m.

This is good news for the families and friends of the hostages being released, however an update from the same news agency The Times Of Israel is now reporting that the timing is moved to Friday (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-22-2023/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site) :

In an apparent delay, National Security Council chairman Tzachi Hanegbi announces that the first hostages will not be released until Friday.

Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk said earlier today that the deal would go into effect at 10 a.m. on Thursday and hours later, a senior Israeli official briefing reporters on condition of anonymity confirmed as much.

But Hanegbi, in his latest statement, says that “the negotiations for the release of our hostages are constantly progressing.”

“The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday,” he adds.

More Specifics Of The Ceasefire Given

In a report from i24news.tv we read about “phase one” of the agreement which is part of a press conference (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israeli-elections/1700688515-israeli-ministers-present-official-hostage-deal-to-a-scrutinizing-press) :

The Israeli government has green-lit a groundbreaking deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirming the approval of what he termed "phase one" of the agreement.

Addressing the press in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu disclosed that the cabinet convened last night to approve this initial phase.

Under the terms of the deal, 50 hostages are set to be released in stages during a short-term cease-fire, expected to commence on Thursday morning. In exchange, Hamas has committed to releasing 150 Palestinians currently held by Israel.

The individuals slated for release on both sides are specified to be women and children, a facet that underscores the humanitarian dimension of the agreement.

During a press conference today, Prime Minister Netanyahu clarified that the current outline of the deal intentionally excludes the release of Palestinian prisoners convicted of murder in Israeli jails.

He emphasized this critical point, stating, "Our goal is to bring everyone back, including Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul, Avira Mengistu, and Hisham El-Sayed," referencing other Israeli captives held by Hamas.

Hamas, for its part is saying that more hostages will be released if ceasefire is extended in another i24news.tv article attests (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1700546400-hamas-officials-say-truce-agreement-is-close-answer-sent-to-qatar): The terrorist organization Hamas on Tuesday morning said a truce agreement with Israel was near, and its response was delivered to Qatar, senior officials told the media.

A senior Israeli official later said a deal was "very close" for the return of children, the mothers and other women being held in Gaza by Hamas, according to Channel 12 News. The source described the release as 50 hostages at first and the rest, up to 100, will be released in exchange for the extension of a ceasefire.

It’s hard to follow all of the changing details of this deal, but we do know at least that there is an agreement overall and that hostages will be released.

The Fighting Will Continue

Both Netanyahu and Gallant echoed the same sentiments in response to questions. They both agreed that it was in no small part the absolute pounding of attacked on Hamas that brought them to the negotiations table as we read in The Times Of Israel article on that subject (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-22-2023/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site&utm_campaign=release-of-50-abducted-women-children-to-begin-10-a-m-thursday-israeli-official)

Gallant says Hamas “wanted a pause to get some air while we’re pounding it daily. That’s what brought the achievement” of the hostage deal.

Gantz pivoted to activities in the north from Hezbollah after telling us the hostage deal was difficult for him in quotes from the same live blog:

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz uses the Tel Aviv press conference to threaten Hezbollah, which has already lost 79 fighters in the fighting along the northern border.

“What’s happening now in northern Gaza can also happen in southern Lebanon and Beirut,” Gantz says.

Addressing Iran, Gantz says, “We know how to [act toward those attacking] us, as well as to those who are sending them.”

“No harm to Israel’s sovereignty will go unanswered,” he declares.

Commenting on the hostage deal, Gantz says it was one of the hardest decisions he has made over 40 years of service defending Israel, and adds that additional difficult choices lie ahead.

Addressing Hamas’s leaders in Arabic, Gantz says, “We are a long-suffering and patient people.”

Israelis managed to build a state and an army after surviving the Holocaust and “we don’t think in days, but in eternity.”

Gantz acknowledges that there are those who disagreed with the hostage deal and insists that he respects those voices and is determined to keep Israeli society united in the war against Hamas.

Hezbollah May Join The Ceasefire

Reports are swirling that Hezbollah will also cease from attacking Israel from Lebanon at the same time as Hamas. We learn more about this from a report on it from i24news.tv (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/levant-turkey/1700638862-hezbollah-to-adhere-to-israel-hamas-ceasefire-deal-arab-report) :

A ceasefire deal recently approved by the Israeli government that would see the release of hostages from Hamas will also apply as a truce on the northern border with Lebanon, according to a Lebanese report in Nidaa al-Watan.

"Hezbollah will adhere to the ceasefire on the condition that Israel does too," the first report announced on Wednesday morning, following a meeting between the leaders of the Lebanese and Palestinian terrorist organizations.

An official source from Hezbollah later told Al-Jazeera that the group will respect the ceasefire also in Lebanon, reiterating the condition that Israel does too, adding that the Lebanese group was not consulted on the deal.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had met in Beirut with a delegation of top Hamas officials headed by Khalil Al-Hayya, the terror group’s deputy leader in Gaza, and Osama Hamdan. The sides discussed their coordination and the developments "on all resistance fronts, especially in Gaza."

The Nidaa al-Watan report added that the decision was reached following discussions between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah, with an aim of allowing locals in southern Lebanon to harvest their crops along the border.

God Is Moving In Gaza

We read some great news from an article in CBN.com that more than 200 Muslims have reportedly met Jesus in dreams (see https://www2.cbn.com/news/cwn/supernatural-move-god-gaza-hundreds-reportedly-meet-jesus-dreams) :

Christian professor and president of Risen Jesus Inc., Michael Licona, said he received a report from "underground Christian ministries" in Palestine detailing miraculous conversions.

"God is working in the midst of war!" he shared recently in a Facebook post.

"'Over the past two days, we have ministered to hundreds of fathers who have lost most, if not all, of their children in the war. As we moved these men to safety, we fed them, washed their clothes, and began to read the Bible to them — sharing the way of peace through Jesus. Then, a big miracle happened. Last night, Jesus appeared to more than 200 of them in their dreams! They have come back to us to learn more from God's Word and are asking how to follow Jesus,'" Licona quoted from the Christian ministry.

Licona is a professor at Houston Christian University and has written several books, including "The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus" and "Paul Meets Muhammad."

Former Muslim turned Christian-apologist Nabeel Qureshi once wrote, "Mike Licona was instrumental in my journey out of Islam to Christ. While I was a Muslim college student, Mike invited me to his home regularly to discuss the historicity of Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. The evidence Mike presented was so compelling it formed the keystone of my conversion. Since then, I have seen his work so powerfully impact thousands with historical evidence of the Christian faith..."

Licona added in his post that the report should be celebrated by Christians around the world.

And that my friends is wonderful place for an amen!