Two Israelis Murdered in Huwara
IDF activity during the 2023 Huwara shooting, February 2023 (Source: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit photographer/Wikimedia Commons)
In another fatal attack on Israeli civilians, close-range gunfire killed a father and son in the West Bank Palestinian city of Huwara. The terrorist escaped on foot, and the Israeli military are hunting for the killer. Huwara has been in the news numerous times this past year. With a main Israeli road running through the Palestinian village, Huwara is a flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian tension. The town is typically quiet on the Sabbath. Many Israeli settlers living in small villages nearby are observant Jewish people and do not travel on the Sabbath. Still, this murder is hardly the first to occur in Huwara this year. Back in February, two young Israeli brothers were killed, which sparked a rampage of fire and destruction as some Israeli settlers destroyed Palestinian cars and businesses. Many were arrested and charged. As a result, the Israeli military has tightened security around the area to prevent retaliation following this latest terrorist attack. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant vow to keep order and safety, Hamas and Islamic Jihad praise this murder.
Please pray for peace and security in Huwara among the Israelis who drive through the town and the Palestinians who live there. Pray for those who are mourning.
Caesarea Aqueduct Arch Collapses
Caesarea Aqueduct Arch (Source: Levi Meir Clancy)
One of the famous Roman aqueduct arches in Caesarea in central Israel recently collapsed. The arches were built in two stages. Herod the Great began construction in the early first century. About a hundred years later, Emperor Hadrian continued building. These arches were renowned for their precision and detail. The aqueduct channeled water from the southern Carmel springs to supply the bustling city of Caesarea with drinking water. Caesarea was an important port city from the first to seventh centuries ce. Experts suspected the arch was near collapse and called for renovation. As a result of the overnight collapse, these concerns are being taken more seriously. The Antiquities Authority has requested further investigation into the safety concerns for the public, as the area is a popular beach. They have also requested funds to restore and stabilize the remaining parts of the arches and aqueduct.
Praise God no one was injured at this public and popular beach. Please pray for the restoration process.
Flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport Delayed Due to Heat
Ben Gurion Airport (Source: Joseph Barrientos)
Numerous flights faced significant delays at Ben Gurion Airport last week due to extreme temperatures around Israel. The Airports Authority decided maintaining flight safety required temporarily canceling flights because of the heat’s effects on technical systems. Delays began with flights arriving in Israel from the West. Much of the country faced dangerously high temperatures last week. Last Monday, there was also a chance of thunderstorms in some parts of the country
Please pray for the safety of people sensitive to high temperatures—children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with pre-existing conditions.
Read more at The Jerusalem Post. . .
Serving Holocaust Survivors in Israel
Please pray for Chosen People Ministries’ ongoing service to Holocaust survivors in many communities throughout Israel. Besides ministering to their physical and emotional needs through events such as Sabbath dinners, retreats, and music evenings, we also minister to their spiritual needs through the gospel and prayer. This recent story comes from one of our staff in Israel:
We arranged a meeting for 150 Holocaust survivors, where we prepared a program and lunch for them. Almost all those who came were not-yet-believers, and 98 percent said they considered themselves atheists.
As everyone was dispersing and saying goodbye, a woman named Norah,* eighty-seven years old, came up to me and asked me to pray for her daughter Arielle* who has stage four cancer and will soon have another operation. From her comments during the conversation, I realized this would be her first prayer in her life.
I asked—and she agreed—to pray together in the name of Jesus. I told her we could pray for her, too, asking the Lord to be with her so she might also pray to Him directly. Best of all, Norah prayed with us for the Lord to enter her heart and help her in this challenging situation.
Thanks to the Holocaust survivor ministry project, Norah learned of the One to whom we can always turn for help, Jesus Christ!
*names changed for privacy
