Three More Hostages Released

Yesterday, Hamas released two Israeli hostages, followed by one American-Israeli.

Yarden Bibas, 34, was taken from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his Israeli-Argentine-Peruvian wife, Shiri, 32, and their two sons, Ariel, four years old at the time, and Kfir, who was nine months old and just passed his two-year birthday January 18, the youngest hostage taken during the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel. The whereabouts and well-being of mother and children are unknown. Shiri’s parents, Yosi and Margit Silberman were killed the day of the abduction.

Ofer Kalderon, 53, was taken from his home in Nir Oz, along with his daughter Sahar, 16, and son Erez, 12, both of whom were released November 27, 2023.

American-Israeli Keith Samuel Siegel, 65, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was released in a later exchange. He and his wife, Adrienne, also called Aviva, were taken from their home in Kfar Azza. Aviva was released in November of 2023.

In exchange, Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners, about 70 of those serving life or long sentences for dangerous crimes, although none had been involved in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Also yesterday, the Rafah crossing was to be reopened, allowing the evacuation of 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children, along with 61 companions.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is to release a total of 33 hostages over six weeks, while Israel agreed to release about 1,900 Palestinians prisoners. This is the fourth exchange, bringing the total of hostages freed to 18 during this first phase of the ceasefire. Israel believes at least eight of the hostages yet to be returned during this phase are dead.

A second phase of ceasefire is set to be negotiated this week, hopefully resulting in the release of the remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce. But if an agreement isn’t reached, the war could resume in March.

Nearly 47,000 Palestinians have died in the war, and 405 Israeli soldiers. Both Israel and Gaza are more than 97% unreached with the gospel of Christ, which means most of those who died on both sides never heard the good news that brings salvation.

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 Israel, Gaza and Lebanon in These Trying Times

Father God, please have mercy. Please heal the minds and hearts of Yarden, Ofer, Keith and every hostage now released, and make a way for the release of all those still held prisoner in Gaza, especially Yarden’s family. Bring down every terrorist and set both Palestinians and Israelis free from the oppression of Hamas. Please be intricately involved in the healing of everyone 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 One who is Truth. 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 and 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 terrorist orders and do what is right and good. Father God, we ask You for miracles. Share with every Palestinian and every Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad 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.

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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.

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