Hamas released the first footage of an Israeli hostage being held in the Gaza Strip. The young woman showed in the video is one of 199 whose families have received official notice from the Israeli government of their family members’ captivity. Work continues to identify and bury the over 1,400 murdered Israelis from Hamas’ initial attack. Over 4,200 Israelis have been wounded to date, while Hamas has now fired over 6,700 rockets from Gaza at Israeli civilians. Israel continues to strike Hamas targets in Gaza from the air.

54 Israeli border villages and towns from both the north and the south of the country have been fully evacuated as of Tuesday afternoon, and their residents are now refugees.

On the northern front, escalations continue, and 7 Israelis have now been killed by rocket fire from Hizballah. Today, Tuesday, 3 Israelis were wounded by missiles fired by Hizballah, and Israel officially closed one mid-sized northern town to civilians. Israel continues to respond to Hizballah’s rocket fire with airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

Adding to the tension in the region are the veiled threats of Iran. While it is unknown if Iran will directly enter the conflict, Hizballah is an Iranian proxy.

German Chancellor Shultz landed in Israel today, while US President Biden is set to arrive tomorrow, and French President Macron indicated that he would visit Israel in the near future as well.

Please pray for protection over Israeli civilians and soldiers, especially those preparing to enter Gaza. Please pray for protection over those with PTSD from Israel’s previous wars, especially those who continue to serve in reserve units, as well as the soldiers and civilians who are now dealing with PTSD as a result of the terror attack and subsequent war. Lastly, please pray for wisdom for Israel’s government & military leaders.