Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, at the beginning of February, embarked on his fifth tour of the Middle East full of hope. But during Netanyahu’s press conference on the night of Blinken’s departure he rejected Hamas’s ceasefire proposals and vowed to attack Rafah. The ceasefire talks were dead. Israel remains intent on totally destroying Hamas. They have still not caught the main leaders of Hamas and until then the war looks certain to continue despite the increasing pressure from almost every nation.
The Bible says that the “pricking briers” around Israel will be removed. Zechariah 12 says that the surrounding, nearby peoples who have become intoxicated by Jerusalem will be burned up by the governors (leaders) in Jerusalem. The burning up is underway. We could be witnessing Zechariah 12:6 being fulfilled – there are more briers to be removed though.
On that day I will make the clans [governors in the AV] of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place. (Zechariah 12:6 NIV)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to prepare to evacuate civilians from the southern Gazan city of Rafah ahead of an expanded offensive against Hamas. Some 1.5 million Palestinians are in Rafah to seek refuge from Israeli combat operations in the rest of Gaza. The US has warned Israel an invasion of Rafah would be a “disaster”, while the EU and the UN both expressed concern. Aid groups say it is not possible to evacuate everyone from the city. Mr Netanyahu told military and security officials to “submit to the cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions” of Hamas, his office said on Friday February 9.
“It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah. On the contrary, it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat,”
the statement added. Earlier this week, Mr Netanyahu said he had ordered troops to “prepare to operate” in Rafah and that “total victory” by Israel over Hamas was just months away.
The leaders of Hamas are hiding in Rafah in their network of underground tunnels. These leaders call for the annihilation of Israel in their own charter. The Gaza Strip has become a network of terror using the population as a cover for their evil ways. Even the UN refugee agency has become part of this evil campaign to destroy Israel.
The first mention of the Hebrew word, “hamas” appears in the story of Noah. Mankind had filled the earth with violence (hamas). So God said he would destroy the earth. God wiped the earth clean because of the violence (hamas). Hamas will one day be removed as well.
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence [ hamas] through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (Genesis 6:13)
The name of the terrorist group Hamas translated from Arabic means enthusiasm, zeal or fighting spirit, and is also an acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement.
Weekly World Watch, Andy Walton
Some View on the World 