CURE News and Clergy Blog News and Commentary for Christians
Shalom from an undisclosed location in Asia! I could tell you where I am, but then I’d have to have my fictional friend Nir Tavor, well, do what Mossad agents do. I am here for a greatly desired and necessary vacation with my family. After being away from home for six weeks, I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to just focus on them for the next week. And, because I’m here, I’m going to keep this newsletter fairly short, ministry-heavy, and fact-filled. And if you’re wanting information on the historic agreement between Israel and Hamas, look below in the MidEast & Beyond section or, better yet, watch my “Breaking News Update: Huge Drama”!
Before coming to Asia, I was in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, for two days of amazing Awaiting His Return conferences. From start to finish, every session that Pastor Barry Stagner, Dr. Mark Hitchcock, and I were privileged to teach pointed us back to the truth that God’s Word provides of faith, love, and hope of salvation in these times and seasons we’re living in. Huge, heartfelt thanks go to Pastor Phil Hopper and the outstanding team at Abundant Life for your excellence, hospitality, and partnership in the Gospel and sharing God’s plan for Israel!
Happy Feast of Sukkot to all of you. For those who may be reading this from your booths, I’m very glad you have internet out there! If any of you are thinking, “I’ve heard of Sukkot, but I’m not sure exactly what it is,” don’t worry, I’ve got a video for you. In just seven-and-a-half minutes, “Amir Tsarfati: The True Meaning of Sukkot” will explain to you the profound significance this last of the festivals holds in God’s plan for salvation and redemption.
This past week held another time of remembrance; one far removed from the Festival of Booths. Tuesday, October 7, marked two years since thousands of Hamas terrorists and Palestinian citizens poured across the Israeli border with Gaza and proceeded to brutalize and slaughter 1200 Israelis, injure 3400 more, and take captive 251 innocents. I don’t want to get into details today; I’ve written them in this newsletter so many times before. But I also don’t want you to ever forget just how horrific that day was, no matter how much the world press and social media try to smooth its edges so it doesn’t seem like it was that bad. It was that bad! Never, ever forget that! For those who want a more graphic reminder, I invite you to watch the video Behold Israel put together called “October 7 Unfiltered“, available only on Telegram. There is also website with a variety of painful-to-watch videos called “hamas-massacre.net”. Both are difficult to view, but I believe they are necessary to remind the world what Israel is up against.
One more event took place on October 7. My latest book, Exploring Ezekiel, was released. I purposely scheduled it to coincide with that tragic anniversary because the book of Ezekiel is God’s reminder to Israel and to the world that He is the Lord and He is in control! Throughout the book, we see God amidst the tragedies, working out His plan, intervening when necessary to carry out His overall strategy. In Exploring Ezekiel, you’ll find a book that is biblically sound, prophetically powerful, and surprisingly easy to read and understand. And you may even find yourself laughing now and then. Pick up your copies of Exploring Ezekiel today, and enjoy as the difficult is suddenly made clear. Also, if you want to know a little more about the book, check out the “Authors’ Corner” I recorded with BI senior writer and editor Steve Yohn that released the same day.
There is one more very important item that I want to share with you before I give you a few news stories. Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the way certain elements of conservative media and theology are twisting his words to sound like he was against the nation of Israel, I knew that something needed to be done to set the record straight for the young adult generation. During our Behold Israel meetings in Fort Worth a week-and-a-half ago, we talked through my vision and have developed a strategy that I believe will become a significant aspect of our ministry. If you would like to read about this new initiative or give to it, follow this link to read about the Behold Israel Strategic Plan to Reach the Next Generation. You will be hearing much more about it in the future as God continues to lay out this plan to us.
MidEast & Beyond
A Deal is Made!!
How would you feel if all your friends told you that you better do the number one thing in the world that you want to do least? If you don’t, they’ll be done with you forever. Not sure what emotions you might experience? Then, find one of the leaders of Hamas, buy him a cup of coffee, and let him tell you just how miserable he is right now, because that is currently the terrorist group’s exact situation. President Trump had presented a 20-point agreement to initiate phase one of the end of the Israel-Gaza War. Hamas was doing their usual hemming and hawing, trying to draw out the process until it broke down. Only this time, instead of supporting them, their best friends, the Qataris, along with the Turks and the Egyptians, told them you better sign or we’re completely cutting you off. That’s what it took to get them back in gear, and Hamas has said they’ll sign.
This is no surprise to President Trump or Prime Minister Netanyahu. In fact, it is the culmination of a brilliant strategy that began exactly one month ago with the “failed” Israeli air attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar. What the media loves to portray as a botched assassination attempt was actually a key step that scared the Qataris and others into forcing Hamas’s hand. Rarely will I encourage you this strongly to watch one of my news updates, but my Breaking News from yesterday spells out in less than thirty minutes a magnificent scheme cooked up by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu that is worthy of a Netflix mini-series. Please take time to watch it, because it’s a plot that needs to be heard and not read. President Trump will be coming to the Middle East soon and will be speaking in the Knesset. All the rumors of the rift between Trump and Netanyahu were part of the scheme.
In the next 72 hours, the hostages will be returned home. On Sunday, 20 innocent Israeli hostages will be returned and on Monday the remaining fallen hostages will come home. In return, the terrorists will receive 250 of their own hardened members. And, in case you are wondering, none of the terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre will be among those returned. In return, Israel will pull back from their present positions but will remain in the Philadelphi Corridor and inside the borders of Gaza. Hamas has in their mind that this is the end of the war, but Israel says, “We’ll see.” This agreement is just phase one of the process. If the terrorists fail to keep any part of the agreement to the letter, Israel will have full permission to destroy them.
Once the agreement is fully set in motion, Israel and the United States will be open to focus on other areas. That means that Iran needs to be looking over their shoulders. The U.S. has already moved massive forces to the nearby Persian Gulf area. The Houthis also need to prepare for some visitations, since Israel can now put their primary focus on dealing with those terrorists. Again, this is all detailed in my Breaking News update from yesterday, and I would highly recommend you take the time to view it.
An Obligatory Flotilla Story
I am writing this story under formal protest, because the ridiculous flotillas to “break the blockade on Gaza” are technically news. But, oy vavoy, I hate giving these people any recognition at all. Sure, they did provide a little comedy relief, like when Greta Thunberg got demoted to a different boat and one of the organizers resigned after some bullying by a trans contingent. And there was that meme that said that Greta was the first hostage victim in history whose kidnappers’ only demand is that she leave. Actually, I guess based on entertainment value alone, the flotillas weren’t such a bad thing after all.
The Dapper Syrian’s New Target
Now that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has slaughtered Alawites, Christians, and Druze, he is in search of a new target to mollify his murderous ISIS gangs. It appears he may have found it in the Kurds of Aleppo. Deadly fighting broke out on Monday between the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian government forces. Because the SDF is backed by the U.S., if this conflict continues it could draw America into the conflict to a certain extent.
Macron Loses Another Prime Minister
At just 27 days, French President Emmanuel Macron’s latest Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu became the shortest tenured PM in the history of the Fifth Republic when he resigned his office on Monday. This leaves the beleaguered president with a choice. Does he appoint yet another sacrificial prime minister? Does he take a chance and dissolve parliament, hoping for better luck with new elections? Or does he just resign? I know my choice for him.
The Ministry
There are currently five options available for you to visit the Holy Land on a Behold Israel tour in 2026 – February, May, October, November, and December. To see where you might fit in, check out our website for details. And in addition to our tours, please consider joining us for our Exploring Ezekiel Norwegian Fjords Cruise next September and October! Registration is filling up quickly, so make sure to reserve your spot soon!
On Tuesday morning, join me for the Anchor Podcast with special guest Moshe Cohen-Eliya. This is a fascinating conversation with an Israeli professor who went from human rights lawyer to outspoken critic of Israel’s leaders and court. We dive into topics like wokeness, changing power groups, the courts’ influence, and the “deep state,” and we look at how all of this shaped Israel prior to October 7.
Great news! Registration is now open for our Alaska Cruise Prophecy Conference slated for July 3-10, 2026. Amid the incredible beauty of God’s creation, Pastor Barry Stagner, Pastor Bob Pearle, Bob Kopeny, and I will teach on God’s providence and faithfulness in a world that feels increasingly uncertain. The spots go fast for the Alaska cruises, so complete your registration soon!
Thank you for your faithful prayers and your support of Behold Israel. We’ve seen over the past few weeks the power of what God can do. May God bless you greatly in the coming days.
Awaiting His Return,
Amir Tsarfati
Amir Tsarfati, 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.
