[Today's prayer] Israel turns to southern Gaza..."A bigger disaster is coming"

Israel, which ousted Hamas from northern Gaza, home to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, is poised to continue its Hamas sweep in southern Gaza. This is because Hamas's main leaders and military infrastructure, including underground tunnels, remain in the south.

Large-scale civilian damage is inevitable as refugees are concentrated in the south.

Foreign media such as The Economist of the United Kingdom and the Associated Press reported on the 15th (local time) that Israel has succeeded in virtually neutralizing Hamas in northern Gaza after an operation to enter al-Sifa hospitals and that southern Gaza could become a new battlefield.

Six weeks into the war and three weeks into the ground war, Israel effectively occupied northern Gaza, the Economist reported.

"The Israeli military seems to have completed the acquisition of northern Gaza," the AP said. "Israel has set a target for southern Gaza to wipe out Hamas."

Israel is likely to advance to the south because Israel has declared a goal of complete dismantlement of Hamas since the beginning of the war.

Hamas forces still remain in the southern part of Gaza. Israel divided Gaza into the South and the North, and then conducted a ground war only in the North. In other words, the South rarely carried out operations.

Israeli National Security Adviser Giora Eiland, a former general of the Israeli military, told the Wall Street Journal on the 14th that the Israeli military had nearly defeated two Hamas brigades in northern Gaza, but there are three Hamas brigades left in southern and central Gaza.

According to the Associated Press, there is also an underground tunnel in southern Gaza, a key Hamas military strategic facility.

Hamas' core leadership is also alive. The whereabouts of Hamas's political leader Yahia Shinwar and Hamas al-Qasam brigade chief Muhammad Daph, who the Israeli military has identified as the top targets, are still unknown.

Muhammad Daph is the one who declared Operation Al-Aqsa, which means a surprise attack on Israel on the 7th of last month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his country's military officers near Gaza on the same day, saying, "There is no place in Gaza that we cannot reach. There is no shelter, shelter, or shelter for Hamas killers in Gaza."

Netanyahu continued, "We will go where Hamas is, we will bring Hamas out, and we will release the hostages." Noting that he spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden, "We don't give up. We will destroy Hamas and achieve a "complete victory."

The United States also agrees with Israel's policy of "annihilation of Hamas."

At a press conference in San Francisco after the U.S.-China summit, President Biden said that Israel will stop when Hamas can no longer maintain its ability to commit terrible acts such as murder and abuse against Israelis.

"Many Hamas terrorists are still in Gaza," he said. "Hamas is openly planning a surprise attack on the 7th of last month."

(Omitted)

A ground war in the south could lead to a serious humanitarian catastrophe. The majority of Gaza's residents are staying in the south, as Israeli forces have notified them to empty the northern part of the country.

The New York Times (NYT) reported, "Israel ordered civilians to leave northern Gaza and flee to the south, and more than 1 million people followed suit. If Israel launches an attack on the south, greater civilian damage is expected."

According to the AP, the majority of Gaza's 2.3 million residents live in the southern part of the country. Gaza was originally densely populated, but it is more crowded as residents in the north fled to the south.

You can't even ask the southern refugees to go north. There are no proper infrastructure left in northern Gaza, which has been a major battlefield for more than 40 days. The Economist believes that Israel can operate in the South in a different way than in the North because it is watching the international community. Citing an Israeli army lieutenant colonel, The Economist reported, "The Israeli military plans to launch a more mobile attack in the south."

Israel is creating a humanitarian zone in Al-Mawah, southwest of Gaza, in consultation with the United States and Egypt, but it is difficult to accommodate millions of refugees. The AP reported, "The area is also an underdeveloped area in Gaza, and there are few infrastructures to support the refugees."

Source: Economist Daily

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrew 12:14)

God, who is the Savior of Israel and Palestine.

Lord, your heart aches the most in the midst of the continuing war between these two nations. Lord, as the Global Church prays, would you hear our prayers and begin a new work!

May the long and deep chasm and wars between these two nations of Israel and Palestine end. And would you protect these nations that no longer your lost children will lose their lives in pain and death!

May the leaders of Isarel no longer do works of evil and would you protect the many people who are lost and have no where to go as a result of this war and would you allow the gospel to reach them faster than death.

May the long and deep conflict between these two nations of Israel and Palestine that seem like will never resolve, disappear and now finally experience peace. Would you, their Savior wipe away the tears and pains of these two nations.

Would you lead these two nations to become nations who will experience your great love, peace and holiness so that through these two nations the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael will love one another in You and see complete peace in You!