Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Shalom from Israel! In this week’s newsletter, I want to give you a state of the war update. We’ll look at what’s happening in each of the main regions of battle, seeing what has been completed and what is yet to accomplish. But, first, I would like to begin with something very special. Soon after the October 7 massacre, many of you contacted us with the desire to minister to those affected. Professor Yonatan Dubi, whom many of you know from my video, “Climate Change: A New World Religion?” recommended a number of excellent humanitarian organizations, which I passed on to you. Then, you stepped up in a remarkable way. Below is a letter of appreciation from Professor Dubi, and a list of four more options for blessing those affected by the violent attack.
From Professor Yonatan Dubi:
Beloved “Behold Israel” Community,
Over 125 days ago, Israel was forced into a war following the horrific events of October 7th. Only a few days later, your amazing community opened its heart, and in only a few days donated hundreds of thousands of dollars (!!) in support of the people of Israel.
Here are a few things that I personally witnessed that could only have happened through your amazing donations:
• Food, clothes, housing, furniture, and other basic needs were supplied to evacuees from the attached areas.
• Temporary schoolrooms and kindergartens for evacuated children were built and maintained.
• Day-to-Day support for evacuees – from food to driving needs to emotional assistance.
• Tens of thousands of sets of warm clothing were sent to our troops at war.
In addition, there were numerous other acts of kindness, including direct care to families of those still abducted in Gaza, and to those who have lost their loved ones, as well as all their belongings. There are too many stories to list all of them here.
But we still need your help.
As the war progresses, some evacuees are starting to go back to their homes, and they need help in re-building their lives. Many thousands are still forced to live as refugees in their own country, looking for ways to rebuild and push forward. This is a long haul, and years will be needed to rebuild. We need your help to take the first steps, and to keep the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the heart-breaking events of October on their feet.
Below is a list of amazing NGOs, doing amazing things. I have vetted each organization personally, to make sure that every dollar that you send will be used for doing good.
I thank you personally – your support touches my heart, and the hearts of all those who benefited from it. God bless you all!
Galgal Hozer (the turning wheel)
Shlomi Sofer’s foundation aids evacuated families and IDF soldiers. Located in Netivot, Shlomi has been able, through your generous donations, to provide food, clothes, and other basic needs for tens of thousands of people. His work started immediately on October 7th, and he has had very little sleep since then. I have seen this myself.
Nir-Oz Support
My friends from Kibbutz Nir-Oz have suffered an unbelievable loss – over 15 Kibbutz members viciously murdered. We are helping them to rebuild their lives, one step at a time.
“Amazing Grace”
My good friend, Lilach Lester, founded a wonderful organization that in normal days is devoted to helping Israel’s poor. Lilach has established the “Israeli Food Bank” and was awarded a special commendation from the president of Israel. Since the beginning of the war, Lilach’s work has been devoted to helping those who have suffered personal losses.
Nachshon Preparatory academy
This preparatory school for high school graduates sits right next to Sderot & Kibbutz Shoval. They are now working around the clock with many of their alumni for aid and relief in the area. Their founder, Ze’evic Nativ, called me with tears of gratitude after the first round of your donations.
The Middle East
My Telegram Channel is a constant flow of news throughout the day. Subscribe to my channel to catch all of the headlines as they happen.
North Gaza/Gaza City
Just because the talk on the international stage is about Rafah, that does not mean that the work is done in Gaza. It will still be several years until the tunnel structure that stretches through the entirety of the Gaza Strip is completely destroyed.
That being said, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has done a tremendous job neutralizing most of the threat in the north of the Gaza Strip. They accomplished this by going to where Hamas was hiding out and destroying them there. These necessary actions were taken despite those locations typically being protected behind humanitarian façades. Schools, mosques, and hospitals all served as human shields, and most, if not all, contained access to the underground terror tunnels. For a while, this humanitarian lie swayed public opinion against Israel. But most finally realized what was taking place. Even the worthless New York Times had to admit Monday that the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City was used by Hamas for cover, weapons storage, and as an access point for the tunnels.
One of the worst offenders for antisemitic propaganda has been Al Jazeera. Their rhetoric has been over the top and completely one-sided. Now we have a clue as to why. Mohamed Washah, a Palestinian correspondent for the news site, has been discovered to also be a “prominent commander” in a Hamas anti-tank unit. He has also been involved in air unit research and development for the terror organization. Sadly, that is exactly the type of “unbiased” reporter that you’d expect to find working for Al Jazeera.
Khan Yunis
As in northern Gaza, the IDF’s work in Khan Yunis has been exceptional. The force shown was both overwhelming and humanitarian. I can think of no other war where one combatant has gone through so much trouble to protect the other combatant’s civilians. Phone blasts, leaflet drops – every practical method has been used to warn people ahead of time that the IDF is coming in. It has obviously worked because tens of thousands of people fled further south prior to the operation.
What is left to do in Khan Yunis? Of course, there are the tunnels. But as saw earlier, completing that work will be a long-term project. For now, the primary work remaining is under the hospitals. Just like in Gaza, the IDF has left these medical centers for the end. This allows them to be used as long as possible and gives time for the maximum number of civilians to leave the area. Currently, the IDF is focusing on Nasser Medical Complex. The fact that the international media is going crazy over video of people being forced to leave the hospital shows just how short their memories are. In a move that so clearly shows the New York Times for what it is, on each of the two days following the paper’s admission that there were tunnels under Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, as mentioned above, they published articles by their journalist, Raja Abdulrahim, excoriating Israel and the IDF for ordering the evacuation based on claims of Hamas’ activity that “could not be independently verified.”
Rafah
Just as the IDF was focused on Gaza City then Khan Yunis, it is now setting its sights on Rafah. If you want a detailed explanation of why this is so, I encourage you to watch my Breaking News update from Monday. It is in Rafah that Israeli forces must go to destroy Hamas’s final four remaining battalions of the original 24. As always, the IDF has warned the citizenry, and thousands are fleeing north. Why are they going back the way they originally came? To the east is Israel, to the west is the Mediterranean, and to the south is Egypt. Why not just cross the border to their fellow Muslim country? Because Egypt has made it very clear that they don’t want any Palestinians coming in.
There is a strong international push against Israel moving into Rafah. Many nations are against the offensive simply because they don’t want to see Hamas finished off. They see them either as heroes, as victims, or as a necessary foil against Israel. Egypt, in particular, is warning against the offensive, but for a different reason. There are a tremendous number of tunnels between Egypt and Rafah, some of them large enough to drive a truck through. Weapons, ammunition, supplies, and, even, commodities have been smuggled through these tunnels for years. If Israel succeeds in Rafah as they have in northern Gaza and Khan Yunis, the Egyptian corruption that has allowed this smuggling will be exposed and the government will be severely embarrassed on the world stage.
An amazing event took place in Rafah early Monday morning in the Shaburah refugee camp. A special hostage rescue team of the Israeli police snuck into the camp, used ladders to climb to the second floor of a building, blew the door off, killed three terrorists, and liberated two October 7 hostages. The entire nation wept with joy as 70-year-old Luis Har and 61-year-old Fernando Simon Marman were brought home and soon reunited with their families. This proved the other reason that the IDF is moving into Rafah. There are still 131 hostages remaining, and many of them are in that part of Gaza. The stories we are hearing from hostages who have come home include the daily raping of both women and men, severe beatings, deprivation, and other brutality. We will bring them all home, and we will make their captors pay most dearly for what they have done.
Lebanon
The greater war in the north has yet to begin. Hezbollah knows this, and they are scared. Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of the terrorist organization, said on Tuesday, “A strong Israel is a danger to the region, and a weak, deterred, and fearful Israel constitutes a less harmful and catastrophic situation for the countries and peoples of the region. In Lebanon, a strong Israel is a danger to Lebanon, and a deterred Israel is the one whose danger to Lebanon can be reduced.” In other words, “We must win, because we have no other choice.”
But Nasrallah’s statement is not completely accurate. If you take his second sentence and change “Lebanon” to “Hezbollah”, that would be closer to the truth. Palestinians and Lebanese are not the same kind of people. Palestinians hate the Jews more than they love their lives. The Lebanese love their lives more than they hate the Jews. A war with Israel will mean many people losing their homes and all they have. Many would see Hezbollah out of their country before they allowed that to happen. The question is whether they are strong enough to accomplish that. I believe they likely have until the middle of May to make it happen.
Iran
On Wednesday, Iran’s main north-south gas pipeline was cut by two massive explosions. Tehran claims that the incidents were acts of sabotage. Really? I can’t imagine who would ever do such a thing. Totally random thought, this may be a great time to remind everyone of my Nir Tavor Mossad Thriller series. Sorry, can’t imagine what made me think of that just then.
If this is an update on Israel’s wars, then why have I included Iran? Because they are the head of the snake. They have done a masterful job keeping their hands clean, while their proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen have done all the dirty work. Israel is too busy at home to do anything about Iran. It would take the full power of the United States to bring justice to the radical Islamist regime. But we all know that’s not going to happen any time soon, and possibly never depending on how November’s elections go. So, for now, Israel will have to content itself with the occasional elimination of an Iranian general and an act of sabotage here and there – allegedly.
Ministry
Have you seen the first of my series of two-to-three-minute videos explaining the history of Gaza and the Palestinians? If not, check out “Make Gaza Great Again?”, and be sure to share it with your friends and family.
Upon its inception as a nation via Abraham and his descendants thousands of years ago, God vowed to use Israel as a source of blessing to the world – the vessel through which He would make Himself known. In my message, “Be a Light to the Nations”, premiering Friday at 12:00 PM PST, I am joined by special guest Eyal Dror on the Golan Heights. Together, we will discuss one of Israel’s greatest humanitarian operations, revealing how God continues to use His chosen people as an example of how to be a blessing, to love your neighbor, and, yes, to be a light unto the nations.
If you are looking for a beautiful reminder to pray for Israel or just something you can use to keep track of all your appointments, the Behold Israel Ministry Calendar is for you! This 16-month biblical calendar features stunning imagery shot by various photographers in the Holy Land. Get yours today!
After the amazing success of our Alaska Cruise conference in 2023, we are preparing to take our teaching back on the water! For these opportunities, we will be presenting our Discovering Daniel & Revealing Conference in two very different venues. The first will be a cruise through the Mediterranean, which will take place from October 19-29, 2024. Our second opportunity to present these teachings will be on the waters of the Caribbean on January 18-25, 2025. Registration for both cruises is currently open! Make sure to register soon, as we anticipate these events to fill up quickly.
The work on CONNECT is progressing well. Please continue to pray as we are facing many very important decisions in the weeks ahead. Also, thank you so much for your constant prayers and faithful support of Behold Israel. You are such a blessing to me and to the team. May God lift up your head and give you hope and peace.
Awaiting His Return,
Amir Tsafati
Amir, a Jewish Christian, is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.
The views expressed in opinion articles are solely those of the author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Black Community News.
