Eight Hostages Released

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Hamas released eight hostages yesterday after 482 days in captivity:

• Arbel Yahod (f, 28, taken from her home in Nir Oz, and held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. She is the girlfriend of hostage Ariel Cunio, who is still in Gaza.)
• Gadi Moshe Mosez (m, 80, taken from his home in Nir Oz, where he was an agricultural expert, and held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Gadi’s partner, Efrat Katz, was murdered during the October 7 attack. Her daughter, Doreen Katz-Asher, and granddaughters Raz, 5, and Aviv, 2, were taken captive, but released November 24, 2023.)
• Agam Berger (f, 20, Combat Intelligence Collection Corps from Holon, kidnapped from Nahal Oz along with the four women soldiers released January 25; and two others, Ori Megidish, rescued alive October 30, 2023, and Noa Marciano, murdered in captivity.)
• Surasak Lamnau (Thai, m, 32)
• Watchara Sriuan (Thai, m, 33)
• Bannawat Seatho (Thai, 27)
• Sathian Suwankam (Thai, m, 35)
• Pongsak Thaenna (Thai, m, 36)

The five Thai hostages who worked in Israel were added to resolve Hamas’ failure to release Arbel on January 25. A total of 44 Thais died and 31 were taken hostage during the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023. Of those, 23 were released in November of 2023, two died in captivity, and the status of one is unknown. After the attack, about 7,000 workers fled to Thailand. But higher wages and Israel’s need for agricultural workers have grown the number of Thai workers from 30,000 pre-invasion to about 38,000 today.

To pray for all hostages by name, both those now free and those still held by Hamas, refer to our Israel-Gaza page.

In exchange for the thee Israeli hostages freed yesterday, Israel released 110 Palestinians (30 per civilian, and 50 for Agam), including 30 terrorists serving life sentences. Among those are several, now elderly men responsible for the deaths of dozens during the Second Intifada: Zakaria Zubeidi, Mohammed Abu Warda, Mohammed Aredeh, Mohammed Odeh, Wael Qassim, Wissam Abbasi, and brothers Nasser, Mohammad and Sharif Abu Hamid. Mohammad al-Tous, who spent nearly 40 years in prison, was also among those released.

Israeli Jews, Palestinian Muslims, and Thai Buddhists are all people groups highly unreached with the gospel of Christ. Pray God will make the way for them to hear the good news about Christ, lift the veil from their eyes so they can see Him as He truly is, and move their hearts to choose Him as Savior.

Lord, thank You for these who have been released. Please speak to them in powerful ways and heal their minds, hearts and bodies from the trauma they have experienced. Do it in such a way that they know it is You and are drawn into Your love, truth and mercy. Give them a hunger for You so intense they will seek You with all their hearts and find You. For You are the only One who can truly set them free. John 14:6, 8:32. Open the way for all hostages who have been released to receive the counseling and care they need, but especially to hear the good news and be saved. Bring Christian doctors, aid workers and counselors to them to show them Your love and the way to salvation. 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 those who are still held captive 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 Your salvation. Place Your angels around them, and make that shield visible to those who guard them. Invade the dreams of everyone in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Make them so repulsed by the atrocities they have seen and committed that they lay aside Islam and seek the One who is Truth. Single out those in Hamas whom You will turn from darkness to Light. Use them to courageously arrange the escape of many hostages, and shield and empower them as they carry out Your plans. Lord, we ask You for many miracles. Make Mohammad al-Tous, Zakaria Zubeidi, Mohammed Abu Warda, Mohammed Aredeh, Mohammed Odeh, Wael Qassim, Wissam Abbasi, brothers Nasser, Mohammad and Sharif Abu Hamid, and every Palestinian and Hamas terrorist see that You alone are God and that You are GOOD. Turn their stomachs as You open their eyes to see the horrors of religion gone wrong. Prove Yourself the God of Love and how terrorism serves satan, not God Almighty. Bring them to their knees in fear of the Lord and in surrender to Your love. Break their hearts for what breaks Yours and draw them up into Your arms to receive Christ as Savior before it’s too late. Awaken all of Gaza. Awaken Israel. Awaken every member of Hamas. Awaken every hostage, every survivor, every soldier, every terrorist, every Palestinian, every Jew, every Thai, every family member to Your love. Don’t let even one more lost person caught up in this earthly battle die without hearing the good news of the sacrifice You paid so we can be free. Replace death with new LIFE, violence with PEACE, hatred with LOVE, grief with gladness. Yes, Lord, what the enemy has meant for evil use to bring forth great good. Bring about a great church planting movement that spreads throughout Israel and Palestine and all throughout the Middle East, and even into Thailand, with millions turning to Christ. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.

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.

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