As the first month of war comes to an end, the IDF has surrounded Gaza City, isolating the headquarters and many outposts of Hamas’ operational capitol. The IDF announced that it is working on further plans to combat and destroy Hamas’ network of underground tunnels during the next stage of the fighting. At least 30 IDF soldiers have sadly been killed in action and around 300 have been injured.

On Israel’s northern front, Hizballah has been firing on the city of Kiryat Shmona all day. This is an escalation, and the town’s mayor is calling on all remaining residents to leave. The United States also issued an explicit warning to Iran and Hizballah that it is prepared to enter the war militarily should either entity open a new front against Israel or against US forces stationed in Iraq or Syria. Last night, the US announced the arrival of a nuclear-armed submarine in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Monday morning, a terrorist stabbed two IDF soldiers in Jerusalem’s Old City, tragically killing one and mildly injuring the second. Besides being tragic, incidents like this can serve as tinder for the building tension between Jews and Arabs in Judea and Samaria.

On the international front, Senator Bernie Sanders drew a clear line, saying that it is difficult to call a ceasefire with an entity dedicated to one’s destruction as Hamas is to Israel’s.

Please pray for healing for the injured and comfort for those who have lost loved ones. Please pray for protection over Israeli soldiers and security forces in the field as well as over civilians. Lastly, please pray for the continued success of Israel’s war against Hamas.