News broke yesterday when President-elect Trump posted the above message on Truth Social. Slowly, details dripped from various sources, some touting it as a fantastic deal, others lamenting the lack of favor for their side. Certainly, the few, mostly unconfirmed, details bring concern to those of us yearning for hostages to be freed and Hamas to be unable to ever again perpetrate such an attack as the one on October 7.

At the time of this writing, the negotiating teams of the US and Qatar, as well as Hamas, have supposedly signed off on the deal. Israel has not officially confirmed the ceasefire and hostage exchange. The latest news I’ve heard is that top level Israeli officials are to meet today (Thursday, January 16) at 11:00am (2:00am AZ time) to decide whether or not to sign the deal.

Here are some random thoughts:

• President-elect Trump undoubtedly put pressure on both sides to get a deal done or “there’s going to be hell to pay,” and it is fairly certain his pressure moved the needle. After all, virtually this exact deal has been on the table for weeks (if not months), while Hamas rejected it. Trump puts the pressure on Hamas and their allies and…voila!…the deal is assumedly done. (We’ll see what the Israelis say.)
• Last night, Joe Biden gave his farewell address in which he tooted his administration’s horn about accomplishing the deal. Given the lack of respect around the world for the administration, it is highly unlikely he or his team pulled something out of their hat to convince Israel’s Arab neighbors to pressure Hamas into agreement with the deal. But he needs a foreign policy “win,” and apparently Trump is willing to give it to him.
• The deal, as all Israeli hostage deals have been, is incredibly lopsided. There are just less than 100 Israelis still held captive in Gaza. Only 33 are scheduled to be released in the deal, and only 3-5 at a time each week over many weeks. A slow ooze. And what about the families whose loved ones are not part of the 33?
• Meanwhile, Israel will give up at least 30 imprisoned terrorists for each Israel hostage, and more if the hostage is a soldier. In many cases, we don’t know who is alive and who is dead. On top of that, a ceasefire will go into effect, leaving Hamas to embed themselves among civilians and return to northern Gaza. The IDF may remain in Gaza for a time, but only at a distance.
• Did Trump turn his back on Israel, or is this part of a grander scheme? On the surface, it appears bad, but because of his ability to negotiate, I’m willing to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt for a short while. I would expect to see significant action to bring more moderate countries into the Abraham Accords, while allowing Israel to do what is necessary to “cut off the head of the snake,” namely destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Israel also needs to be given the military equipment and ammunition that is legitimately due to them, but which the Biden administration withheld. Give them what they need!

All this to say that we live in unprecedented times. Will a Trump-led America experience resurgence on the world stage and restore a bit of stability, or will evil prevail? Are we seeing God set the pieces on the chessboard for the coming Ezekiel 38 invasion?

Finally, of interest to some…should the hostage deal actually get done and go according to unconfirmed plans we’ve seen at this point, our group will be in Israel when some of the hostages are released. It will be interesting to actually feel the mood of Israelis as they receive loved ones back from captivity. Lord willing, we will be in places, engaging with Israelis who are very close to the situation. I expect to meet some survivors of October 7, and perhaps even previously released hostages. We will report back as time permits while we’re there.

Please continue to pray for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet who will be making key decision shortly. Pray for weary IDF soldiers who have bravely and fiercely fought for Israel’s freedom and safety. Ask the God of heaven to break the chains and allow ALL the hostages to come home.