Hamas agrees to cease-fire… Sort of?

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel. But this year is different, having just suffered a smaller Holocaust-like experience in October. I had wanted to post something about Israel’s entry in this week’s Eurovision Song Contest when I saw what my colleague, Asher Intrater, wrote last week. Someone has taken an Israeli song and put it into an AI-generated video which is one of the more powerful audiovisual elements I have experienced since October 7. 

Elana and I are in Texas with our children for a few days. We ministered yesterday at Open Door Church near Fort Worth. It is great to be with my family, but it is very difficult not to be in Israel today. Next week, we will have Memorial Day for soldiers followed by Independence Day. It will be very different this year, without much celebrating, while 100 hostages are still in Gaza and we are still mourning the deaths of so many of our citizens. 

Today, just as Israel was beginning the attacks on Hamas’ last stronghold, the terrorist group said they would accept the ceasefire for a hostage deal. Of course, this is only because of Israel’s potential invasion of Rafah. The deal they accepted wasn’t the deal on the table. Remember, they are terrorists, not honest brokers. Please keep praying and watch the video below.