VFI News 6 Hostages Freed on Saturday, Israel to Delay Release of Prisoners

6 Hostages Freed on Saturday, Israel to Delay Release of Prisoners . . .

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed home the six hostages released from Gaza on Saturday, February 22, as part of the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.

“I bless the return home of Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham al-Sayed,” the prime minister wrote in a statement posted to X/Twitter. Two of the hostages — Mengistu and Al-Sayed — are civilians who were held since entering Gaza on their own more than a decade ago.

“My heart bursts with excitement, and we embrace the families. Their return is a moment of joy and relief for their families and for all the people of Israel,” Netanyahu added.

He also mentioned the tragic news of the deaths of Ariel, Kfir, and Shiri Bibas. “The heart of the nation was broken by the kidnapping and brutal murder of Shiri and her children – Ariel and Kfir, of blessed memory,” he wrote. “We share in the deep sorrow of the Bibas family and embrace them warmly.”

Furthermore, the Prime Minister’s Office said late Saturday that Israel will postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners until additional Israeli hostage releases are secured.

The PMO cited Hamas’s repeated violations of the ceasefire-hostage deal as the reason for the postponement. Hamas on Sunday condemned Israel’s decision, saying its claim that the hostages’ handover ceremonies are “humiliating” was false and a pretext to evade Israel’s obligations under the agreement.

The release of prisoners is expected to take place when the next round of hostages are released. (JPost/VFI News)

“Dear Lord, we are extremely grateful that You ensured the release of six more hostages and we hope that You take care of their physical and mental health. We thank You and we praise Your Holy Name. May You engulf them in Your incessant love and erase all brutalities from their memories. We also pray that You mediate the release or rescue of all the remaining hostages in Yeshua’s name.”

Released hostage Omer Shem Tov was forced to disguise himself as a Muslim woman and lowered into an underground tunnel in a bucket. He was spit on, cursed, and compelled to kiss his Hamas captor in a staged ceremony. 

Other hostages were shackled for months, starved, and left in complete darkness, their bodies wasting away.  According to testimonies published by Israeli media, the six freed hostages endured months of isolation, abuse, and deprivation in Hamas’s underground tunnel network. 

Eliya Cohen, one of the released hostages, recounted being shackled for extended periods, suffering deep cuts from the restraints. He and his fellow captives were primarily held in sealed tunnels with limited access to light.

Hamas operatives would occasionally shine flashlights into their eyes, a form of psychological manipulation. They would also deliberately eat in front of the hostages, tormenting them with food deprivation.

Shem Tov described being forced to disguise himself as a Muslim woman when being moved between locations. At one point, he was lowered into a tunnel in a bucket. He recalled being spit on and cursed by his captors. 

Although he lost 17 kilograms during captivity, he remained committed to his Jewish faith and performed kiddush despite the near total lack of resources. Further, according to Israeli media, it was revealed that Hamas fighters forced Shem Tov to wave and kiss one of the guards during a “ceremony” staged by the terror group. (JPost/VFI News)

“To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat.” - 1 Corinthians 4:11-13a

Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip killed brothers Ariel and Kfir Bibas only weeks after they were kidnapped during the terrorists’ Oct. 7, 2023, rampage into southern Israel.

A forensic examination of Ariel, 4, and 10-month-old Kfir, showed they weren’t killed in a later airstrike as the Palestinian militants claimed, officials with the IDF said Friday, February 21. 

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said Hamas killed the two “in cold blood.” “The terrorists did not shoot the two young boys; they killed them with their bare hands,” Adm. Hagari said in a televised statement.

“Afterwards, [Hamas] committed horrific acts to cover these atrocities.” Kfir was 9 months old when the family, including father Yarden and mother Shiri, were abducted at Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of a string of communities near Gaza overrun by Hamas-led attackers. 

IDF officials said they made the conclusion based on forensic findings from the identification process and intelligence they gathered since the start of the war with Hamas.

“We have shared these findings, intelligence and forensic, with our partners around the globe so that they can verify it, and that the entire world will know exactly how the Hamas terrorist organization operates,” Adm. Hagari said. (WT/VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we pray for Yarden Bibas who has lost his whole family during the war and continues to face unimaginable difficulties and revelations. We lift him up to you and we pray in Yeshua’s name that You comfort Him and give Him peace. We know that You are close to the brokenhearted and we pray that You do not let such atrocities bear their mark on the victims but the terrorists.”

Within the Argentine political scene, politicians are debating a bill proposed by Buenos Aires City lawmaker Yamil Santoro, who seeks to rename “Palestine Street” to “Bibas Family Street.” 

The proposed plans to rename the street come after it was announced that Shiri Bibas and her two young sons Kfir and Ariel Bibas were murdered in Gaza captivity. On X, he wrote: “We are presenting a bill to rename ‘Palestine Street’ as ‘Bibas Family Street.’ It is essential to remember and honor the victims of terrorism.” 

Argentine media reports suggest that Argentina’s President Javier Milei supports this initiative, but the decision lies with the Buenos Aires Legislature, where there are differing views.

Some argue that “Palestine Street” is unrelated to Hamas and that the street should not be renamed, instead recommending that a park or public space should be dedicated to remembering the Bibas children.

It is important to note that Milei’s relationship with Israel has allowed for rapid policy decisions, including the national designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Argentine ambassadors in neighboring nations have also received criticism and complaints on Argentina’s position, including the proposed relocation of the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, where Ambassador Wahnish is already based.  (JPost/VFI News)

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Hamashiach.”- Galatians 6:2

Official Video for Barry & Batya Segal's single, “Hashomer” (He Who Keeps). “Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them, and this is how we know that He lives in us; we know it by the Spirit He gave us.”

US President Donald Trump said on Friday, February 21, that he is “really” fine with any decision Israel makes as to whether to continue to a second stage of the Gaza hostage deal or return to war in Gaza.

Asked about Netanyahu’s position in an interview with American media, Trump said, “He’s actually not torn. I mean, you know where he stands, and he would like to go in, and he’s just so angry, and he should be. If he’s not angry, then there’d be something wrong with him, frankly.”

Referring to the return of murdered hostage children Ariel and Kfir Bibas, he added, “It’s so barbaric. You wouldn’t think that would happen in the modern age, but it happened.”

Asked whether Israel would decide between seeking to bring back more hostages in a second phase or resuming the war, and whether he is fine with either choice, Trump answered, “I am. I really am. You know, when you see what’s happening there… you just wonder about the condition of the hostages that they have. One group came in so bad, it looked like it was a concentration camp in Germany.”

He added: “Sometimes you have to make a decision… it’s a rough decision.” (TOI/VFI News)

“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.’” - Romans 12:18

In a soon-to-be-published article, Colin Winston, a 30-year veteran of the CIA and former head of research at the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), lays out a succinct case for an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

“Hezbollah and Hamas no longer pose a threat to Israel,” Winston writes. “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ lies in ruin. Both Iran’s and Syria’s air defense systems have been destroyed, and Iran’s missile capabilities decimated.  

“Despite this, Iran is on the verge of producing enough weapons-grade uranium to build several bombs – so close, in fact, that relying on a timely warning from US or Israeli intelligence of Iran’s imminent ‘breakout’ may no longer be a reliable strategy.” 

“Now is the time for Jerusalem and Washington to take decisive military action against Iran’s nuclear program, ideally through a coordinated and joint strike.” 

There is growing evidence that thinking along these lines is now prevalent at the top of Israel’s security system. Recent regional media reports suggest that there is also broad agreement between Jerusalem and Washington on this issue. (JPost/VFI News)

“Dear God, we pray that You take care of the Iranian regime and prevent it from constructing nuclear weapons. In a matter of seconds You are able to do what no one else can. We trust in You, we depend on You and we pray that You protect us and all innocent civilians from a nuclear war. May Your Will be done in all circumstances. In Yeshua’s name we pray, amen.”

Houthis rebels for the first time fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at a U.S. F-16 fighter jet on Feb. 19, three senior U.S. defense officials told American media. 

The jet was flying off the coast of Yemen over the Red Sea when the SAM was fired. The missile did not strike the jet. Houthis fired another SAM at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone that the U.S. was flying over Yemen outside Houthi-controlled areas on Feb. 19. 

This is the first time the Houthis have fired a SAM missile at an American F16 fighter jet, a significant escalation in the ongoing military interactions between the Iranian-backed group and the U.S. Navy and Air Force, according to senior U.S. defense officials.

Now there is a policy debate at the highest levels of the U.S. military about what is the best way to counter the Houthis, which the Trump administration has put back on the State Department’s terror list.

The debate is whether to carry out a more traditional counterterrorism approach to the Houthis, with persistent strikes targeting the individuals planning and carrying out the ongoing attacks, or whether to take a more defensive approach and keep going after Houthi infrastructure and weapons-storage facilities. (FN/VFI News) 

Iran executed at least 975 people last year in a “horrifying escalation” of its use of capital punishment, two human rights groups said on Thursday, February 20. 

Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and French group Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said the figure was the highest since IHR began recording executions in Iran in 2008. 

The figure “reveals a horrifying escalation in the use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic in 2024,” they said in a joint report, accusing Iran of using the death penalty as a “central tool of political oppression.” 

“These executions are part of the Islamic republic’s war against its own people to maintain its grip on power,” IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said. “Five people were executed on average every single day in the last three months of the year as the threat of war between Iran and Israel escalated.” 

Last year’s figure represented a 17 percent increase on the 834 executions recorded in 2023, the report said. Of the 975 people executed, four people were hanged in public and 31 were women, also the highest figure for the past 17 years. (TOI/VFI News)

“There the prisoners rest together; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.” - Job 3:18

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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