VFI News Hamas Gives Egypt List of Hostages; 24 UNRWA School Officials Were Terrorists

Chaos unfolds in Syria as airstrikes rain down following the fall of the Assad regime. In one of the largest air campaigns in recent history, Israel launched over 400 strikes, targeting abandoned strategic weapons stockpiles to prevent them from falling into the hands of Hezbollah and jihadist groups.

We explore how the collapse of Syria's defenses has reshaped the region, the role of the IDF in securing Israel’s borders, and the broader implications for the Middle East. Plus, updates on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s trial and the ongoing negotiations to free hostages in Gaza.

Don’t miss this in-depth look at a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history.

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Hamas has given Egyptian mediators a list of Israeli hostages who are currently being held in captivity by the terror group, Saudi media reported on Tuesday, December 10.  

The update comes as the Saudi news outlet reported that officials confirmed that negotiations were privately progressing and secret communications were in the works to finalize a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.  

Earlier on Monday, London-based Qatari media reported that Hamas had presented Egyptian mediators an initial list with the names of the hostages who would be included in a possible hostage deal. The list reportedly included the names of four American hostages, as well as hostages who are elderly or suffer from medical conditions.  

Hamas also submitted a list with the names of Palestinian prisoners it would like released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the hostages, according to the Qatari news outlet. 

However, on Wednesday, Hamas’s representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, poured cold water on the reports, telling a Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese outlet that the terror organization had neither received any ceasefire proposal nor submitted any lists. (JPost / VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we pray for all the hostages still being held by Hamas as well as their families. We pray in Yeshua’s name that You listen to their pleas and deliver them from the terrorists as soon as possible according to Your Will. Please, help them survive, persevere, and reunite with their families. We pray that You cause them to turn to You always, through all their afflictions, and that You lovingly heal them.”

The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.

Some two dozen teachers, counselors, and administrators at UNRWA schools in Gaza are members of Hamas or other terror groups, according to a foreign media report published on Sunday, December 8, based on documents provided by Israel.  

The materials, seized from terror groups during the ongoing war, shed further light on Israel’s longstanding contention that the UN agency responsible for aid to Palestinians - which administered some 288 schools in the enclave before the war - has fostered radicalism, and been used by terror groups in their efforts against Israel.  

The documents, viewed by a renowned American news outlet, identify 24 employees at 24 different UNRWA schools — the majority of them principals or deputy principals — who are registered members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. 

About half of them had documented possession of lethal weaponry, including assault rifles and hand grenades, provided by the terror groups, or participated in their training exercises.  

Gaza residents interviewed by the news outlet said Hamas’s presence in UN schools was something of an open secret, with one UNRWA educator “regularly seen after hours in Hamas fatigues carrying a Kalashnikov,” according to the report.  

Another school principal, a Hamas member who was issued an assault rifle and a handgun, reportedly has a photo on his Facebook page depicting him standing in front of a Hamas banner. (TOI/VFI News)

“Dear God, we pray for the Palestinian children who have been indoctrinated into hating our people for generations. We pray that You show them the truth and that Your Love will be able to heal their hearts, minds, and bodies. Guide them towards the right path of love, of Yeshua. We pray that the war will finally be over and all people residing in Israel will prosper, have their physical needs met, be united, and worship You alone from now on. In Yeshua’s name we pray, amen.”

In a message to the new regime taking shape in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, December 10, that Israel wants to establish relations, but won’t hesitate to attack if it threatens the Jewish state.  

“We have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Syria,” he said in a video statement, “but we certainly do intend to do what is necessary to ensure our security.”  

Therefore, he said, the Israeli Air Force was bombing “military strategic capabilities” left by the Syrian military of the ousted Assad regime, “so that they won’t fall into the hands of the jihadists.”  

“We want correct relations with the new regime in Syria,” he went on to say. “But if this regime allows Iran to reestablish itself in Syria, or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or attacks us, we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price from it.” 

After the rebels took over Syria, the Israeli Navy missile ships struck two Syrian Navy facilities simultaneously; dozens of sea-to-sea missiles with ranges of 80–190 kilometers were destroyed; manned aircraft flew hundreds of hours over Syrian airspace, conducting over 350 aerial strikes together with fighter jets; a wide range of targets were struck, including anti-aircraft batteries, Syrian Air Force airfields, and dozens of weapons production sites; numerous strategic weapons were neutralized, including Scud missiles, UAVs, fighter jets, attack helicopters; air strikes on 130 assets in Syria were conducted, including weapons depots, military structures, launchers, and firing positions. (TOI/VFI News)

“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed.” - 1 Peter 3:13-14a

Syrian rebels who overthrew the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, December 8, are reportedly executing their opponents, imposing Islamic sharia law, and threatening non-Muslim minorities, including the Kurdish population in the north.

Videos are circulating on social media showing Syrian rebels killing people associated with the regime - some of whom may have been part of the state security services, and others who appear to have been ordinary employees.

One video also shows thousands of smashed bottles of liquor at the duty-free store of the Damascus airport, where Islamist rebels apparently enforced the Islamic ban on alcohol by force, as Islamists did in Lebanon in the 1980s.

In addition, an American news outlet reported that fierce fighting was underway on Tuesday between the rebels supported by Turkey and U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led forces near Kobani, a town in northern Syria with historic and symbolic significance for American involvement in the region.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have also freed prisoners - including toddlers - from a notorious, jam-packed prison dubbed the “human slaughterhouse,” where the Assad regime allegedly used an “iron press’’ to pulverize bodies. The Saydnaya military prison, just outside Damascus, was emptied by insurgents over the weekend. (BB /VFI News)

“Lord, we thank You that You are always in control and none of these things are taking place without Your sovereign will. We pray that You will protect the innocent civilians in Syria and protect Israel from all threats posed by the rebels in Syria. We ask that You raise up a just and peace-seeking government in Syria and that all terror groups and extremists will be removed from positions of power. In Yeshua’s name, amen.”

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Christians in Lebanon are celebrating the release of several prisoners who were abducted by the Syrian regime over several decades of occupation and who are now, finally, free after the sudden collapse of the Assad regime. 

Lebanese media reported: “Souheil Hamawi, a Lebanese national detained in Syria for 33 years, has returned to his home in North Lebanon. Hamawi, who claimed he was arrested in December 1992 at his home in Chekka, arrived in his village accompanied by a brass band and was welcomed by relatives in an emotional reunion, according to our correspondent Michel Hallak.”

Some of the missing Christians were political activists; others were members of Christian militias that had been active during the Lebanese civil wars of the 20th century.  

Syria dominated Lebanon for decades until it was eclipsed by Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, who propped up a faltering Assad regime while continuing to dominate Lebanese politics.  

While there is still widespread concern about the fate of Christians inside Syria, especially since the Syrian rebels who overthrew Assad are radical Islamists with ties to terror, there is broad delight at the demise of the Syrian regime. (BB / VFI News)

Representatives of the Syrian Kurds have appealed to Israeli officials seeking assistance and protection. 

On Monday, December 9, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels announced that they had begun attacking Kurdish forces in the Manbij area in northern Syria, northeast of Aleppo.  

Israel, which views the Kurdish community as a friendly and Western-oriented entity, has been working with Western countries since the beginning of the current campaign to ensure the security of the Kurds within the emerging new reality in Syria.  

The current situation, including the victory of Sunni jihadists and the intensification of the civil war, creates security and political uncertainty. 

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has recently engaged in a series of discussions with his European and American counterparts, raising the Kurdish issue and emphasizing the necessity of supporting them. (JPost/VFI News)  

“So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted. When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?” - Job 34:28-29a

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a video message on Thursday, December 12, addressing the people of Iran following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.

“As we see history unfold before our very eyes, I can only imagine what you’re feeling right now. Your oppressors spent over 30 billion dollars supporting Assad in Syria. Today, after only 11 days of fighting, his regime collapsed into the dust,” Netanyahu opened.

“Your oppressors spent billions supporting Hamas in Gaza. Today, their regime lies in ruins. Your oppressors spent over 20 billion dollars supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon. In a matter of weeks, most of Hezbollah’s leaders, its rockets, and thousands of its terrorists went up in smoke. It’s the money you're oppressors stole from you that truly went up in smoke,” he continued.

“You know why Iran’s oppressors keep losing? … It’s because they seek to conquer other nations, to impose fundamentalist tyranny on the Middle East and the entire world. The only thing Israel seeks is to defend our state. But in doing so, we’re defending civilization from barbarism.”

He added: “Israel wants peace. We want peace with all those who truly want peace with us. And I have no doubt that you, the people of Iran, know this … You know what this regime is truly terrified of? It’s terrified of you, the people of Iran. And one day, I know that… one day this will change. One day Iran will be free.” (INN/ VFI News)

“Lord, we thank you the peace-loving people of Iran and we ask that you bless them and free them from the oppressive regime in their country. We ask that you create a connection between the people of Israel and the people of Iran who seek to live in peace and that one day, soon, we will see a new government in Iran that lets its people live in freedom and peace.”

An Israeli-American man was mowed down by an enraged Palestinian man outside California in a terrifying act of hate, police said.

Roy Gross, 28, was out partying with three friends in Laguna Beach when they got into a shouting match with two men who identified themselves as being Palestinian-Iranian, according to Hebrew media, citing the police report.

The enraged men hurled slurs against Israel and blocked Gross and his friends from getting into a taxi before one of the assailants jumped in his car and tried to run them down, witnesses said.

Gross was severely injured — suffering a compound fracture on his leg. “This is the first time I have encountered such violence,” Gross, who moved to the US in 2014 after serving in the IDF, told the Hebrew news outlet from his hospital bed.

“We tried to calm the conflict and avoid the confrontation, but the suspect acted maliciously and with intent to harm,” he added.

Police arrested the assailant and are investigating the incident as a hate crime. Gross seems to be in good spirits, but he has already had one surgery on the broken leg and will require at least one more, the Hebrew outlet reported. (NYP / VFI News)

“Lord, we pray for the full recovery of Roy Gross in Yeshua’s name. May You heal him completely and comfort him and his loved ones. Please, help Roy remain in a good mental state and alleviate any pains he might be feeling. We pray that You will protect Your people from antisemitism and that it will be dealt with the appropriate force by the nations and their authorities so that such horrific incidents will not happen again.”

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

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