Gaza war - January 11 Update

Israel has damaged the Hamas infrastructure, but not enough to bring the terrorists to their knees. U.S. did not veto the UN Security Council resolution demanding Israel to stop its assault on Gaza, but did not even mention Hamas by name! The U.S. abstained, allowing the resolution to pass, a very worrying signal for Israel, who wonders if the U.S. is about to give in to world pressure. Fortunately for Israel, Hamas has refused to observe the UN resolution, which gives Israel the opportunity to continue fighting Hamas. Meanwhile, Egypt is at this moment trying to create a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
If Israel does not have the chance to bring Hamas down, the rockets will continue and Israel will have to fight Hamas again another day. Because they are fanatical Islamists, they will not change their ideology to destroy Israel.

Even though Israel still has a short-term window at this time to bring down Hamas, Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, is hesitating to go into his “Phase Three,” sending reserve troops into areas more built up, where Hamas’s central headquarters and operations are. Indeed, Israel’s military is saying that it will be a disaster (like what happened when Israel hesitated in the Lebanese war against Hizbullah) if the IDF does not finish its job.

The goal presented to the Israeli public at the beginning of the war was that Israel had to deal a strong enough blow to Hamas that the terrorist group would no longer launch rockets to Israel (which it has been doing for 8 years) and that all of the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza would be destroyed and not rebuilt, so that Hamas could not rearm itself.

Israel has definitely not achieved these results, while the UN and Europe are breathing down Israel’s back, demanding a cease-fire, and the U.S. is weakening its resolve. In a few days, Barack Obama will be sworn in, and it appears he is bent (from his speech today) on forging a cease-fire as quickly as he can as he assumes presidency.

The good news today is that no Israeli soldiers were killed or hospitalized, and few Palestinians were killed.

Another great miracle that happened today was at a kindergarten in Ashkelon. It was the first day that children had been allowed to come back to school since the war began two weeks ago. The kindergarten received a direct hit, but all the children had gone down to the bomb shelter and were saved.

The world press does not have a lot of pictures of wounded and killed Israeli citizens because the population in the southern part of Israel is very strong and very disciplined. When the sirens go off (which they do many times a day) everyone runs to their shelter, or if they do not have one, to a stairwell.

Please pray that God will be a Help and a Shield to Israel and save her soldiers and her citizens from her enemies that have sworn to destroy her.

Pray that all diplomatic efforts that would cause Israel to lose this war would come to nothing.

Pray that God will guide Israel’s leadership in conducting this war successfully.

Pray for God’s protection on innocent Palestinians, but that the Hamas terrorists would be taken out.

Pray for many opportunities for believers throughout the country to witness to our fellow citizens.

Source: www.maozisrael.com