The world watched Avinatan Or being held by Hamas at the Nova musical festival site as his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, was snatched from him and driven off—sitting on a motorcycle between two Hamas terrorists, her arms outstretched toward Avinatan as she screamed in terror. After 737 horrific days, the two were reunited with kisses and hugs.
Avinatan had not been seen since his abduction until his freedom, when he arrived in Israel looking thin and pale but still smiling. There was a “sign of life” he gave in March 2025 which his parents held onto. Reports say that Avinatan was held under extremely harsh conditions for most of the time in central Gaza. He was starved, with initial medical reports saying he had lost 30%–40% of his body weight. He did not see any other hostages, was held in total isolation, and knew little of events happening in Israel.
Noa Argamani was held in Gaza for eight months, captive mainly in people’s homes. She was rescued during the daring mission Operation Arnon on June 8, 2024. Since then, she became one of the most prominent figures demanding the release of the hostages.
Ditsa, Avinatan’s mother, said, “Thank God, thank God. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His kindness endures forever. The uncertainty was unbearable during these two years, and suddenly we have some clarity about how this is happening and what it looks like. But the story won’t be over, and the joy won’t be complete until everyone, everyone comes home.”
Please pray for the return to health of body, soul, and mind of all the hostages.
Four friends who were held hostage by Hamas together for months reunited after the hostage release. Omer Wenkert was freed in February, leaving behind his “brothers” Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David in Gaza. Wenkert said at the time, “it was difficult to comprehend that I was leaving and they would be remaining in captivity. I cannot stop thinking about them because I know what they are going through.” He went on to describe their release as, “A nightmare that ended—a dream that begins.”
Over the weekend, Omer—along with former hostage Tal Shoham who was released in February—met with Guy and Evyatar with joy, tight embracing, and laughter. Wenkert fulfilled a shared dream they all had in the tunnels of Gaza by gifting them with electric guitars.
Please pray for the families of the returned hostages, who have experienced such joy and closure after months of worry and fears for their loved ones. Please pray they can heal and move on from the horrors.
Even though the 20 living hostages have been returned, thousands of people still gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square and around the country on Saturday night to demand and cry out for the remaining bodies of the Israelis murdered by Hamas to be returned. Demonstrations have taken place since October 7, 2023, demanding their return. The struggle is not finished, and Hamas must adhere to the ceasefire agreement by returning their remains for proper burial in Israel. The agreement required Hamas to return all 28 bodies 72 hours after Israel’s withdrawal on October 10th. Israel has only received 12 coffins thus far. Hamas claims that they cannot find the bodies even though intelligence has been given of their locations. Hamas is demanding additional machinery to help in the search. Upon the release of the 20 living hostages, Israel released almost 2000 prisoners and detainees by agreement, 250 of them serving life sentences.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a press statement that “the agreement that was signed to bring back the hostages is being blatantly violated—our struggle is not yet over. Our moral, ethical, and national duty is to bring back everyone until the last hostage. Their return is a necessary step toward rehabilitation and genuine Israeli renewal.”
Einav Zangauker—mother of returned hostage Matan and prominent speaker and advocate at demonstrations over the past two years—thanked everyone for their support but reiterated that “our struggle is not over until the last slain hostage returns to us. . . . The return of the dead hostages and end of the war are only the first act in fixing the failure and healing the country. The rehabilitation will be complete only when all those responsible for the debacle go home and face justice.”
Please pray for a stable ceasefire that includes the moral return of the remaining deceased hostages to Israel and their families.
Over the Sukkot holiday (Feast of Tabernacles), our staff in Jerusalem welcomed a wonderful group of kids for a camp during their school vacation. Thank you for praying for these dear children as they heard about Jesus and drew closer to Him! Read below about their time together:
“We just finished the children’s camps for ages 9–12 held during the Sukkot school vacation. As a result of the security situation over the past two years, we have not been doing large camps for 100+ kids like we had in the past. Instead, we hosted smaller groups at our ministry facility in Jerusalem where the kids and counsellors can get to know each other better. The kids arrived at our Center in Jerusalem with much excitement and energy!
“We invited children from different cities, many of whom were from non-believing families. The parents signed a form stating that they agreed to send the child to a camp where they would study the New and Old Testaments and learn about Jesus. Each morning and evening, we gathered to praise God, study Scripture, and reflect on spiritual topics. For five days, we studied the Feast of Tabernacles and other feasts from Leviticus 23. The central theme was to understand God’s plan for our salvation with child-level discussions on sacrifice, atonement, purity, and redemption.
“One of the main points was explaining and understanding God’s plan for our salvation and knowing God. Several children stepped forward and prayed for the first time in the name of Jesus! A young boy from a non-believing family was at camp for the first time and he said these five days changed his life!
“Of course, in addition to the spiritual program, there were exciting activities for the children. In this challenging time, we wanted to do something unusual for them. We prepared special surprises for each age: treasure hunts, movies with popcorn, baked cakes together, mosaic crafts, and other fun games. We took the children to a fantastic playroom that had just opened in Jerusalem and to a swimming pool. All the children were delighted, and most importantly, they heard and learned about a treasure that is more valuable than all entertainment: salvation and eternal life.”
Pray that the Lord Jesus will touch each of them and that they will become his children!
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