The IDF recovered the remains of St. Sgt. Maj. Ran Gvili—the final remaining Israeli hostage left in Gaza from the October 7 attack—this week from northern Gaza. His funeral will be held this week in Meitar, his hometown. Gvili was murdered on October 7; Hamas then brought his body to Gaza, moving it multiple times before burying him at al–Batesh cemetery, likely mistaking his body for one of their own fighters or a Palestinian civilian.
Top Israeli political officials from across the entire political spectrum rejoiced in light of the event. Ran Gvili’s return marks the end of the era of returning all the living and deceased hostages that Hamas took to Gaza on October 7. President Herzog posted a video of himself removing his yellow hostages pin in celebration of every single hostage finally being recovered. Ran Gvili’s mother, Talik Gvili, said this in honor of her son’s return: that he was the “first to go and fight in defense of the Gaza border communities, and the last to be returned—our hero!”
Praise the Lord that Ran Gvili and all the other hostages—both living and deceased—have finally been recovered from Gaza and returned to Israel. Praise God that our prayers have been answered, for “‘There is hope for your future,’ declares the Lord, ‘And your children will return to their own territory’” (Jeremiah 31:17). Continue to pray for the healing of the hostages and their families, for the safety of the Gaza border communities in Israel, and for the Palestinians in Gaza still being oppressed by Islamic Jihad terroristgroups like Hamas.
For the first time in five years, the amount of people who are waiting for an organ transplant in Israel decreased. There were 1454 people waiting for an organ transplant in 2025, while there were 1481 on the waiting list for an organ transplant the year before. In an amazing gesture of altruism, 96 people agreed to be a living donor and donated a healthy organ from their body over the past year. There were 35 heart transplants, 47 lung transplants, 313 kidney transplants and 759 corneal transplants. As a result of those who signed a donation card, 131 people were moved up the waiting list. Also noteworthy, in 2024, 72 people died while waiting for a transplant, which often can take months and years. In 2025, the number dropped to 56.
Please pray for those who are waiting for an organ transplant, that their match would come speedily and soon.
In an exciting turn of events, Israel has qualified for the Winter Olympic Games in Milan with their bobsled team. The team had originally not qualified but then received an invitation to the Olympics when another country decided not to use its available slot. The team of four—plus one alternate—doubles Israel’s delegation for the 2026 Winter Olympics, amounting to nine athletes. Israel will complete in skeleton, alpine skiing, figure skating, and cross–country skiing.
The surprise showing in the bobsled competition draws comparisons to the 1993 film called Cool Runnings when Jamaica also qualified for the bobsled competition at the Calgary Olympics. “Dreams do come true. For this dream, that day is today,” Edelman wrote on Instagram on Thursday. “The Israeli Bobsled Team is now ‘The Israeli Olympic Bobsled Team.’ We are headed to Milan.”
Please pray for safety and shared respect among all the athletes.
One of our staff in Israel recently wrote:
“Having finished our study of the book of Daniel in December, our ladies’ Bible study in Hebrew excitedly jumped into reading Philippians in the new year. The ladies were deeply involved in the reading and discussion of Paul’s passion to share the gospel of Yeshua the Messiah. After the engaging study, we havea powerful time of prayer for believers who are suffering for their faith in Nigeria, Iran, and other parts of the world. We prayed for the people of Iran, for Israel’s leaders, and for world leaders. It was so comforting to recall what we had just studied in Daniel: that God is completely sovereign in history and sets up and takes down kings.
One lady commented to me that she really doesn’t have the time to come to the Bible study, but she’s coming anyway because she loves the warm atmosphere and the teaching. A new believer has started attending, and she is so excited to be reading and studying the Bible together with other Israeli women who are believers in Yeshua. She said it’s so encouraging. Another lady said that these Bible study meetings are her favorite part of the week.”
Please pray for the ladies who attend, that they would continue to dive deep into the Word and want to share it with others.
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N Cooke2022-02-17 14:55:552022-02-17 15:08:25Reaching the Hard-to-Reach
New Missionaries Fund