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** 30 January 2026
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Tensions rise in the Middle East as a US “armada” approaches the region. The revolutionary regime in Iran is on the verge of collapse, and threatens to retaliate to any aggression. In Gaza, Hamas refuses to give up its weapons. Now, as never before, the task of the church is to intercede for the Peace of Jerusalem, for the salvation of all people in the region, and for protection of God’s people.

“Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.” (Isaiah 40:17)


** Gaza
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The Israeli military announced on Monday that the remains of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old Israel Police Special Patrol Unit (Yasam) officer at the time of his death, had been recovered by its soldiers from the Gaza Strip.

Gvili was slain by Palestinian terrorists during the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. His body was taken to Gaza and held there for 843 days.

With Gvili’s return, the IDF noted, the Palestinian terror group is no longer holding any hostages in the Strip for the first time since 2014. Hamas abducted a total of 251 Israelis and foreign nationals on Oct. 7. Of those, 168 were freed alive, and the bodies of the remaining were returned in truce deals or recovered in IDF military operations.

The big discussion now is whether Hamas will allow itself to be “demilitarized”, as envisaged in the Trump peace plan that has been endorsed by the UN Security Council. That plan states that removing Hamas’ weapons is a condition of the further implementation of the plan, which includes the establishment of an International Stabilisation Force, an interim Palestinian government in Gaza, and gradual redevelopment of the Strip.

Hamas denies that it has ever agreed to disarm. Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk said Wednesday that Hamas never agreed to disarm. The senior official said a Hamas agreement to hand over its weapons “never happened, not for a single moment did we talk about the surrender of weapons, or any formula about destroying, surrendering, or disarmament.” If Hamas was not disarmed in two years of war, “how can they obtain it through negotiations?” he asked.

Abu Marzouk’s statement runs contrary to the insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump that the terror group give up its weapons in the near future as part of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Trump has repeatedly asserted ([link removed]) that Hamas “promised” to lay down its arms, and has threatened the group over the issue.
Protest against the Iranian Regime | Photo: Craig Melville/Unsplash


**
Iran
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Tensions rise as massive US forces approach the region. There is a lot of speculation on whether or not the US will strike Iran militarily.

The US Administration has opened discussions with the Iranian leadership. Times of Israel reports that US President Donald Trump reiterated his warning to Iran to negotiate or risk again experiencing America’s military wrath. “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them,” Trump told reporters, referring to the US military assets moving to the region. Asked if he has had any conversations with Iran in the last few days or if he’s planning to, Trump responds, “I have had and I am planning on it.”

According to veteran analyst Doran, “The Trump administration has put a clear offer on the table: Dismantle both the nuclear program and the ballistic missile program, and end the financing of regional proxies. In return, Iran would regain access to foreign currency, stabilize its economy, and unwind the sanction-induced shadow system that now sustains corruption and scarcity. Khamenei has rejected the offer outright. Ideology and regime identity take precedence over survival.”

A potential directive from Trump on a strike is expected in the coming days, once all of the US military assets heading to the Middle East are in place, a senior US official told Channel 12 on Thursday.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to strike US targets and Israel if the US attacks. Israel is on high alert. Israel believes even a limited US strike would spur a significant Iranian attack on Israel, to which Jerusalem would respond forcefully.

This conflict has major regional and global implications. Saudi Arabia is pushing against an attack, stating it will not allow its territory or airspace to be used in an attack on Iran. Turkey, Qatar, and Oman are applying pressure on the White House to allow them to mediate between Washington and Tehran to find a diplomatic solution. Russia is also actively monitoring the situation.

On Thursday the European Union designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization – a measure that many have proposed for years, but has been resisted by a number of EU member states. The EU Council also this week approved sanctions on 21 state entities and Iranian officials. These moves come in the wake of Tehran’s crackdown on nationwide protests that erupted on Dec. 28. The Islamic Republic has acknowledged that thousands of demonstrators have died, but rights groups and various reports estimate the figure to be in the tens of thousands.

This week, thank God that the body of Ran Gvili has been returned to his family for burial. Pray for the governments of Iran, Israel and the United States – that they will act with restraint and seek to avoid war. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem, and the speedy coming of our Lord and Savior, the Messiah of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The Ayatollah’s regime is Crumbling

Michael Doran (Hudson Institute): No matter what happens next, there is no scenario in which the Islamic Republic survives 2026 with its power intact. Too much has happened; too many uncontrollable yet intersecting factors are conspiring to erode the regime’s power. But that does not mean that revolution is inevitable and Iran will blossom into a free open society once more.
Read more ([link removed])

Iran ‘weaker than it has ever been,’ Rubio says

JNS: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that removing the Iranian regime would be “even more complex” than U.S. efforts to overthrow Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. “The regime is probably weaker than it has ever been and the core problem they face, unlike the protests you saw in the past on some other topics, is that they don’t have a way to address the core complaints of the protesters, which is that their economy is in collapse.”
Read more ([link removed])

'Gaza's Colonization Council': Hamas's Actual Position on Disarmament, Trump's Board of Peace

Khaled Abu Toameh at Gatestone: Hamas's refusal to disarm, its opposition to the Board of Peace, and threats to kill members of the International Stabilization Force signal that the terror group and its supporters have total contempt for Trump or anyone who seeks a better life for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. For the Islamist terrorists, the Jihad to destroy Israel takes precedence over reconstruction, economic prosperity, everything.
Read more ([link removed])

The Genocide Slur Is Not Just for Jews

John Spencer at Tablet: The casual use of the word genocide to target Israel is not only a slur—it is also dangerous to Americans. That’s because, if this ahistorical, amoral, and largely evidence-free way of judging war is allowed to take hold in public discourse and, worse, harden into international legal practice, it will not remain confined to one conflict or one ally. It will be turned on the United States and every other military that may have to fight and win in cities.
Read more ([link removed])

Iran strategically employs global terrorism to achieve its foreign policy objectives.

The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation: This global terrorism agenda is planned and carried out primarily by the IRGC. The IRGC’s terrorist capabilities and activities have increased over time. Notably, many of the IRGC terrorist attacks and plots are perpetrated on EU soil. The conditions for inclusion of the IRGC on the EU terror list are satisfied. The Council is both politically and legally obliged to place the IRGC on the EU terror list.
Read more ([link removed])


** SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK:
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** Isaiah 40:15-31
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Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. ^16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. ^17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. ^18 With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? ^19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. ^20 A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple. ^21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? ^22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to
live in. ^23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. ^24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. ^25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. ^26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. ^27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? ^28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. ^29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ^30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall; ^31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

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