16 Hostages Released, and a Jerusalem Attack

Despite a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, two Hamas gunmen opened fire at a bus stop at the entrance of Jerusalem on Wednesday, critically wounding several people and murdering three (rabbinical judge Elimelech Wasserman, 73; Liviya Dickman, 24; and Hannah Ifergan, 60+).

The same day, Hamas released two Israeli hostages with Russian citizenship; and then several hours later, ten Israelis and four Thai nationals. Several of the Israelis were also from other countries (one American, one Dutch and three Germans). In exchange, Israel released 30 Palestinian women and teens from prison.

For information on the hostages released yesterday, see tomorrow’s post. To pray for all the hostages by name—both those still held by Hamas and freed hostages recovering from trauma—refer to our Israel-Gaza page:

Pray for Hostages by Name

One hostage released by Hamas over the weekend said they were given one pita a day for food, and on rare occasions a piece of cheese or a can of tuna shared among four people. He said the Israelis were abused and beaten more than others.

Reports from children recently freed reveal they were forced to watch video footage of the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 (rapes, beheadings, massacres, dismemberment). Some children were attacked or placed in a room alone for days on end.

Father God, please have mercy. Please heal the minds and hearts of every hostage who has been abused and make a way for the release of all those still held prisoner in Gaza. Bring down every terrorist group and release both Palestinians and Israelis from the oppression of Hamas. Please be intricately involved in the healing of these hostages who are now free, as well as other people who survived the massacres. Bring Christians to each of them to show them Your love and share with them Your good news. Provide Christian counselors, doctors and aid workers to help them to healing. Burn within them a deep desire to know the Truth who sets them free, the Messiah they have looked for, their Savior, Jesus. Give them dreams and visions to point them to You. Place Bibles in their hands. Lift the veil from their eyes and show them who You really are. Be near to the hostages still held in Gaza. Let them feel Your presence and hear Your voice speaking tenderly to them. Tend to all their needs, comfort them with Your love, and show them the way to salvation. Place Your angels around them as a shield, and make those heavenly hosts visible to the terrorists who guard them. Invade the dreams of every terrorist and show them the way to salvation. Make them so repulsed by the atrocities they have committed, appalled by the horrors of religion gone wrong, that they lay aside Islam and seek Jesus. Give hostages favor with their guards and give the guards courage to go against Hamas’ commands and do what is right and good. Single out those You will use to arrange the escape of many hostages, and shield and empower them as they carry out Your plans. Father God, we ask You for miracles. Share with every Palestinian and every Hamas terrorist the good news that brings peace. Draw them up into Your arms to receive Christ as Savior before it’s too late. Awaken Gaza, awaken Israel, awaken Hamas, awaken every hostage, every survivor, every Palestinian, every Jew, every family to Your love. Don’t let even one more lost person die without hearing the good news of Your salvation.

Don’t miss a day of prayer. Subscribe to the Prayer Wall for free by entering your email address below, and receive each daily prayer guide in your inbox in time for your morning devotions:

Mikaela Vincent, and her husband are missionaries who have served nearly three decades in one of the most dangerous countries in the world (See the map at our Persecuted Church page). If you would like to help their ministry at the Prayer Wall and around the world, please consider giving a donation or shopping at Mikaela’s online bookstore this Christmas.

For a free guide to knowing God’s voice, as well as deep Bible studies, novels and other books for all ages by Mikaela Vincent on walking as one with Christ and others, visit MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com:

Any proceeds this author receives from the sale of the deep devotional Bible studies and other MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com books mentioned in this post go to shining Christ’s light in the darkness and seeing the nations come to Him.

But please ignore unrelated advertisements WordPress places here. The author has not approved those links and does not receive any money from them.

Thank you for your support! If you have any questions or want to help with this ministry, please contact Mikaela.