In a rare display of hope and optimism, a video showing a reception table in Israel purportedly set to receive people held hostage by Hamas in the ongoing war in the Middle East is being circulated on social media.
A Nigerian pastor, based in Israel, Mrs Kehinde Dairo uploaded a clip of the video on her wall on Tuesday, October 31.
In the video monitored by Church Times, she made comments on the plight of the people held hostage by Hamas. She called for prayers and expressed hope that the abducted people would be freed by the power of God.
According to her, the table is being protected by Soldiers in Israel and it is hoped that when they are released they will be accorded a state welcome on that ground.
Though a few of the hostages have been released, it is not clear whether the reception has to wait until all the hostages regain their freedom. Reports in the media however indicate that some have lost their lives in the war zone.
https://web.facebook.com/kehinde.dairo.90/videos/336682375713657
Israel had been caught in the web of internecine war between it and Hamas since October 6
The Israel Defence Force had informed that 240 people are being held hostage by Hamas. The hostages include 20 children and between 10 and 20 over-60s.
In a report by the BBC, “Four hostages have been released and another was freed by Israeli forces. Ori Megidish, an Israeli soldier, was freed during ground operations in Gaza on 29 October. Two women, Nurit Cooper, and Yocheved Lifschitz, were freed on Monday 24 October. On Friday 20 October, two US hostages – a mother and daughter – were also freed.”
The struggle between Arabs and Jews over ownership of the Holy Land according to Bloomberg dates back more than a century and has given rise to seven major wars. “The latest broke out Oct. 7 when the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas, which is dedicated to Israel’s destruction and which the US and European Union have designated a terrorist organization, attacked southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 1,300 people in towns, kibbutzim, army bases and a music festival in the desert. More than 3,000 people have died in Israeli reprisals.”