Edan Alexander is Free
The world is watching as Hamas releases Edan Alexander, the last known American-Israeli hostage, after 584 days in Gaza. The 21-year-old dual citizen’s release comes amidst mounting pressure from Israel, which just days ago issued a chilling ultimatum to Hamas: release half of the remaining hostages or face a full-scale ground invasion. (AP News)
But don’t buy the humanitarian spin. Hamas isn’t a benevolent liberator – they’re a terror network that uses human lives as currency. Right now, at least 58 hostages remain in Gaza. Only 23 are believed to be alive. (Politico).
The Remaining Hostages
We’re talking about elderly men and women, kids as young as 10, and humanitarian workers who dared to venture into Gaza. They’re hostages—not prisoners of war. And Hamas is using them (and tens of thousands of their own citizens) as human shields, banking on the world’s obsession with ceasefires to keep rearming and restocking. (Times of Israel).
Among the remaining hostages are a German humanitarian worker abducted from a refugee camp and a Canadian medical volunteer taken during a supply run to a Gaza hospital. The silence of the international community is deafening, as global leaders issue empty platitudes while Hamas moves hostages like chess pieces between underground tunnels and fortified hideouts.
The Only Just Ending
Meanwhile, Israel continues to demand unconditional surrender, and Hamas continues to thumb its nose at the world. And as long as the world remains fixated on ceasefires, Hamas will keep exploiting hostages as leverage, using each “release” as a distraction from the slaughter that continues in the shadows. We need to stand with Israel while they work toward the only just ending: Absolute victory over their genocidal attackers.
A Call to Prayer
Pray for those still in captivity. Pray for the families waiting for answers. And pray for a reckoning that brings real justice to those who mock God’s mercy and slaughter the innocent.”The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.” (Psalm 9:9-10)
