GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 146

Bearing Your Cross

West Bank Shootings And Gaza Stampede

A terrorist attack occurred in the West Bank as we see in an article from i24news.tv:

A Palestinian terrorist murdered two Israelis at a gas station near the West Bank community of Eli on Thursday, authorities confirmed, in the latest such incident. The terrorist — reportedly a security officer with the Palestinian Authority — was shot dead at the scene.

The victims were identified as Yitzhak Zeiger, a resident from Shavei Shomron and Uryia Hartum, age 16, from the Dolev settlement. Uriya's parents, Gedi and Naama said, "Uriya is a pure and upright boy. We were privileged to raise a righteous and holy boy."

The IDF gave us more information:

"A short while ago, a terrorist arrived at a gas station in Eli and opened fire. The terrorist was neutralized," the IDF said, adding troops were pursuing other suspects in the area.

The attack occurred at the site of last year's terror massacre that saw four Israelis slaughtered by Palestinian terrorists.

More unrest happened when aid trucks entered into Gaza and crowds stormed it immediately as we see in another article from i24news.tv:

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari addressed the media this evening, shedding light on an incident involving a humanitarian aid convoy in northern Gaza earlier today and emphasizing the IDF's commitment to providing assistance to the region amidst ongoing conflict.

"This morning, the IDF coordinated a convoy of 38 trucks to deliver vital humanitarian aid to the residents of northern Gaza. This aid, originating from Egypt, underwent rigorous security screening at the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing in Israel before being transported into Gaza for distribution by private contractors," Rear Admiral Hagari stated.

Once inside, the convoy was rushed with bad results:

"Tragically, as the convoy made its way toward Gazans in need, it was besieged by thousands of individuals. Some resorted to violence, resulting in numerous casualties and injuries," he explained.

Not Everyone Agrees On What Happened

Clarifying the sequence of events, Hagari emphasized, "At 4:40 a.m., the initial aid truck began its journey through a humanitarian corridor secured by the IDF. Our tanks and UAVs were deployed to ensure the convoy's safe passage to its destination in northern Gaza."

Hamas of course jumped on the incidents which caused the IDF to respond:

Contrary to some reports, Hagari asserted that the IDF did not initiate any attacks on the aid convoy. "Our priority remains the provision of humanitarian assistance while safeguarding all parties involved," he stressed.

The incident underscores the complex challenges of delivering aid amidst conflict. Hagari presented new video evidence, demonstrating the IDF's cautious response to the situation. "Our tanks attempted to disperse the mob with warning shots and ultimately retreated to avoid further harm," he explained.

Hamas maintains that 104 people died and put the blame on the IDF. The IDF said this:

Rejecting accusations of a civilian massacre, Hagari reaffirmed the IDF's adherence to international law and rules of engagement. "No IDF strike targeted the aid convoy. Our mission was solely to facilitate the safe delivery of aid to Gaza's civilians," he reiterated.

"We recognize the suffering of innocent Gazans and remain committed to expanding our humanitarian efforts," Hagari stated. "Our war is against Hamas, not the people of Gaza. We are actively working with humanitarian organizations and the international community to address aid distribution challenges within Gaza."

They added that vast majority of casualties came from stampeding and being hit by the trucks. Unfortunately, lives were lost in what should have been a good thing. And it underscores how aid needs to get into Gaza, but also highlights that it doesn’t always get passed out once the trucks arrive at their destinations. The IDF has documented how Hamas terrorists intercept the aid to be used for its own purposes.

“We Have Them Right Where Want Them”

In what could be one of the most delusional information revealed about the war so far, a report from i24new.tv we read a message from Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar gives us his view of how the war is going:

Hamas chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, conveyed a message to the terror group’s leadership in Qatar that “we have the Israelis right where we want them,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

The report cited “people informed” about a meeting that took place earlier in February, during which the senior Hamas leadership discussed concerns that it was losing the ground battle in Gaza as its strongholds were overrun and its operatives killed, but Sinwar thought otherwise.

Here’s the actual quotes:

“Don’t worry, we have the Israelis right where we want them,” WSJ described a message that arrived from Sinwar in Gaza via courier.

“Hamas’s fighters, the Al-Qassam Brigades, were doing fine,” the message continued, reportedly upbeat.

Sinwar says that Hamas is ready for an offensive into Rafah as well:

According to Sinwar’s message, he was ready for an expected assault on Rafah and specified that high civilian casualties would only add to the terror group’s war goal, to put international pressure on Israel and for Hamas to survive the conflict.

WSJ described Sinwar’s strategy as surviving the war and declaring a “historic victory,” after leading the largest killing of Israelis and Jews since the Holocaust then outlasting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation, since Hamas would be seen as “the leadership of the Palestinian national cause.”

These stances could just be Sinwar bucking up the troops before their ultimate demise or it could be a leader painting a rosy picture that those still in contact with him are giving him. Either way, Sinwar’s days are indeed numbered.

Good News About The Good News

While we read so much about how the war on terror is going in the physical, there is news of Muslims giving their hearts to Jesus as we see in a report from CBN.com:

One of the leaders of an organization working to spread the Gospel to Iranians reports that claims of Middle Easterners encountering Jesus in dreams are “quite common,” with the Lord using these interactions to draw individuals closer to Him.

“God is using [dreams] to speak to Iranians all the time,” Lana Silk, U.S. director of Transform Iran, recently told CBN News. “He uses every method He can. … The Iranians are open to dreams; they are dreamers. They enjoy talking about their dreams, and they’re aware of their dreams, and God uses that to speak to them.”

Silk would go on to contrast the spiritual receptivity to the gospel in Iran to and in the West:

While reports of Jesus appearing in dreams to Middle Easterners are prevalent, the same can’t be said for Americans more generally, as such anecdotal reports in the West seem far less rampant.

Silk explained why she believes there’s such a radical difference on this issue between the U.S. and the Middle East.

“I think we have become quite secular in the West, and we have wanted to rationalize and understand everything,” she said. “And when you’re in a place where it has to be within your frame of reference and something that you can explain away, then you end up taking away some of the exciting, creative ways in which God likes to speak.”

Silk continued, “So, there is a challenge to us here in the West to take off our need to be able to completely own the information and the process and fully grasp it, and just allow God to ‘wow’ us and do mysterious things.”

She then pivoted to the testimonies of Iranians receiving Jesus:

She also shared several powerful stories surrounding Jesus appearing to Iranians in dreams.

One such story involved a Muslim woman who was forced into marriage at age 13 and faced extreme trauma. She told Transform Iran Jesus began appearing to her in her doorway and then in dreams.

“[He would] hold out his hand to her and say, ‘Come and trust me; come and follow me,'” Silk said. “And then she would go to sleep, and he would appear to her in her dreams, and he would speak to her … it was a gentle call.”

The woman, shocked and assuming she needed to cling closer to her Muslim faith to stop the apparitions, started saying her Islamic prayers more reverently. But when she went to say the name of Muhammad one day, something shocking happened: “The name ‘Jesus’ would come out of her mouth.”

She eventually gave her life to Christ and now serves as a pastor on the Transform Iran ministry team. Her story, of course, is just one of many.

These Conversions Come At A Cost

Silk also gave her assessment on the price to be paid for giving their lives to Christ:

It’s no secret Iran’s extremist Islamic regime fervently cracks down on Christianity, with faith disallowed and even punished.

Jesus’ appearance in dreams is often attributed to God’s powerful method of breaking past human barriers. Sadly, conversion to Christianity can come at a great cost.

“It’s dangerous,” Silk said of practicing the Christian faith in Iran. “It’s a day-to-day risk. … It is very costly to them. The government is tracking. It is illegal for them to convert to Christianity, it’s illegal for them to own a Bible, learn share it with others, and talk about it — and the price they pay is a whole range.”

Silk said retribution for violating these restrictions could mean anything from a business being shut down to prison, torture — or worse.

“It could cost them everything,” she said.

As we can see, when Jesus told us to count the cost of accepting Him and then told us we need to also pick up our cross as well, such statements don’t hit us in America as it does to those in the Middle East in Muslim run countries. If you, like me are feeling a little embarrassed for not living as boldly as I should in a country where religious freedom is in our founding documents, well we definitely should. But we can certainly change that going forward. If I have to see Jesus in a dream pleading with me to embrace Him more, I would see that as tacit rebuke of not listening to what I am saying now. It would be a rebuke I hope I won’t need to experience.