VFI News IDF Rescued Israeli Hostage, Hamas Released Video of Three Other Female Hostages

Dear readers, with the new month upon us, we pray for the permanent cessation of the war in Israel. We thank the Lord for the rescue of the Israeli hostage, our victories so far, as well as the continual spiritual encouragement and His provisions. May He assist our defense forces in rescuing all the remaining hostages and ending the war. We continue to pray for every civilian and soldier who is endangered, and every person whose fate is currently unknown.

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Private Ori Megidish, an IDF soldier, was rescued during the IDF's operation in Gaza on Sunday night, October 29, the IDF and Shin Bet said in a joint statement on Monday. The statement noted that the IDF and Shin Bet will continue to make every effort to secure the freedom of the remaining hostages.

Megidish was kidnapped by the Hamas terrorists on October 7 and has now been reunited with her family. A subsequent medical examination has determined that she is healthy.

President Isaac Herzog was quick to express his happiness for Megidish's rescue in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night. “I was moved to see the soldier Ori Megidish return home to her loving family after a daring operation by the IDF and Shin Bet. Our security forces operate around the clock in Gaza, in the north, in Judea and Samaria, and everywhere, on land, in the air, and at sea,” he wrote.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commented after Megidish's rescue: “I commend the Shin Bet and the IDF for this significant and emotional achievement, an achievement that reflects our commitment to bringing all the captives home. All of Israel pays tribute to the Shin Bet and the IDF.”

“It's like another birth,” Israeli media quoted a neighbor of the family, Itamar Trobek, as saying. “We are very happy. We saw the family, they weren't the same as yesterday. We prayed a lot.” (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for helping our defense forces rescue the soldier who was held hostage for 22 days. We rejoice along with her family and hope that this is the beginning of the return of all the remaining hostages. May You inspire our troops and enable them to swiftly rescue all the citizens who were violently abducted by Hamas, and reunite them with their loving families.”

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.

Hamas on Monday, October 30, released a video it said showed three female hostages who were abducted by the terrorists and taken into Gaza during the October 7 attacks.

Sitting on plastic chairs against a white tile wall, one of the women shouted as she criticized Israel's response to the hostage crisis and for not “guarding them” from the terrorists. The woman urged Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a prisoner exchange for the release of all captives in her brief statement, which was likely made under duress.

Speaking in Hebrew, she becomes very agitated and starts shouting, almost screaming by the end, as the other two sitting on either side of her remain silent. In response, Netanyahu condemned the video as “cruel psychological propaganda” and told the female hostages “Our heart is with you”.

The Israeli Prime Minister named the three female hostages: Yelena Trupanob, Daniel Aloni, and Rimon Kirsht, and vowed “to bring all the abducted and missing people home.” On Monday evening, he also delivered an address to the international media on the war.

He stated that Israel would not agree to a cease-fire with Hamas after the massacre of so many of its citizens. “Just as the United States would not agree to a cease-fire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor or after the terrorist attack of 9/11, Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas after the horrific attacks of October 7.”

He added: “Today we draw a line between civilization and barbarism. God bless Israel, and all those who stand with Israel - but regardless of who stands with Israel, Israel will fight until this is done … Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. This will not happen.” (DM / VFI News)

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said during the weekly Yesh Atid faction meeting on Monday, October 30, that he intends to support the government in any decision that will bring the hostages held by Hamas back home.

“I conveyed a message to the government, by virtue of my position as the head of the opposition, that we will fully support every decision and every step and every price that will lead to the return of the abductees home. At the same time, we need to take painful steps to make sure they return home,” Lapid stated.

He also defined the goals of the war and stated that all of Hamas' top leaders - including those outside Gaza - must be eliminated. He added, “The political echelon defined the goal of the war as the elimination of Hamas' military infrastructure. I agree, of course, but to that must be added the elimination of the Hamas leadership.”

“The State of Israel must not stop and must not let go until we kill six people: Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Saleh al-Arouri, Khaled Mashal, and Marwan Issa. All six must die. Until they die, Israel will not have avenged the murders of Be'eri and Sderot, Kafr Aza, and Ofakim. Until they die, the Middle East will not understand that we are not messing around.”

Meanwhile, in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich is asking not to transfer funds to the Palestinian Authority from the taxes that Israel collects for it, due to its actions and support of Hamas in Gaza. He stated that these funds are used in actions against the State of Israel and its citizens. (INN / VFI News)

“The Lord said, ‘Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress.’ “ - Jeremiah 15:11

In the wake of the recent Hamas massacre, a disconcerting report has been released by the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, and the Jewish Agency, revealing a 500% surge in antisemitic incidents globally compared to the same timeframe the previous year.

According to the report, online antisemitic discourse on selected social media platforms has witnessed a 400% uptick relative to the period before the war. The report also reveals a surge in calls for the annihilation of Israel and direct threats to Jewish communities worldwide.

Alarmingly, over the previous two weekends, the ISIS terror organization has made public calls for its followers to target Jewish establishments globally. Their directives ranged from attacks on Jewish neighborhoods in the USA and Europe to committing arson and vandalism against synagogues and even direct assaults on Jewish club patrons.

The academic sphere hasn't been spared either. Campuses in the US, Australia, and South Africa have seen an increase in antisemitic incidents. An astounding 56% of Jewish students worldwide reported feeling fearful, while 25% of students reported encountering hate-driven activities and violence on their campuses since the war's inception.

There are numerous hate crimes committed daily; Jewish homes in Berlin, Paris and surrounding areas have been marked with the Star of David, evoking painful memories of the Nazi era. Further, on Sunday, October 29, a swarm of local residents in Makhachkala in the Russian Republic of Dagestan stormed an airport in the city in an attempt to attack any Jews and Israelis set to arrive from Tel Aviv, according to local media reports. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that You please protect our people from antisemitic hate speech and attacks wherever they may reside. We are appalled by the international increase in antisemitic incidents and we pray that Jewish people worldwide will remain safe and secure. We call on every world leader to condemn such discourse and crimes and to provide a safe haven for all their Jewish residents.”

“Jews not allowed,” read the sign in English and Turkish above Rağman Şahaf, a used book store next to Istanbul University, not far from the city’s famed Grand Bazaar. Even after the sign was taken down on Friday, October 27, the store’s owner said he stuck by the message.

Anti-Israel banners and graffiti, along with Palestinian flags, have become commonplace across Istanbul, as many of its citizens fume over Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks on October 7 that left over 1,400 dead. Images have also circulated of taxis with signs saying that their drivers would not serve Israelis.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has had an up-and-down relationship with Israel over his 20 years as Turkey’s head of state, has come out firmly defending Hamas’ actions on October 7, calling the terrorist organization “a liberation group.” In response, Israel recalled its diplomats from Turkey.

Antisemitic rhetoric has spread throughout Turkish politics. A day after a hospital in Gaza was hit by rocket fire on October 17, a politician from Turkey’s ruling AKP party, Süleyman Sezen, representing a small municipality called Atakum in the Black Sea city of Samsun, said at a public hearing that he was praying for the soul of Hitler, adding that the world will find peace when it is cleansed of Jews and that the Holocaust was “unfinished.”

On October 10, Huda-Par parliamentarian Şahzade Demir addressed the Turkish parliament, calling to revoke citizenship for Turkish Jews if they volunteer for the Israeli military. Days later, a far-right media outlet, called for Turkish Jews to be denaturalized, under the false claim that they all have dual Israeli citizenship.

It has all amounted to a tense atmosphere for Turkish Jews, who now number around 15,000 and descend mainly from Sephardic families but also include Ashkenazi, Romaniote, and Mizrahi communities. That number was close to 80,000 in the founding year of Turkey’s republic in 1923 — exactly 100 years ago on Sunday. (JPost / VFI News)

“Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.” - Psalm 69:4

Online pro-Israel activist Yosef Haddad published a video of what is alleged to be a treatment center in Gaza, featuring a woman sitting next to the body of someone purportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike. In the video, from CNN, the body can be seen raising its head repeatedly.

These are similar images that have been circulating on X, alleging to show corpses in Gazan medical centers using mobile devices through their shrouds. The Health Ministry in Gaza has reported well beyond 10,000 deaths since the beginning of the war.

Meanwhile, during a White House meeting, President Biden reportedly blasted The New York Times’ previous controversial coverage of the explosion near a Gaza Strip hospital. A report alleged that Biden met with Wall Street executives in the White House’s Roosevelt Room last week and discussed the paper along with its claim that Israel was behind the explosion.

He was particularly disturbed such a headline appeared “in an American newspaper.” “Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say,” the original headline read on October 17. Biden reportedly thought that the headline was irresponsible and could have triggered a military escalation in the Middle East.

Further, Yale’s campus newspaper, the oldest college daily in the United States, recently removed claims from a column in its paper saying Hamas raped women and beheaded men in its murderous attack on Israel on October 7, saying they were “unsubstantiated claims.” (INN / VFI News)

“God, we ask that You prevent prominent media outlets from spreading lies in favor of our enemies. We are humbly grateful for You, as well as our allies who stand with Israel and speak out against such defamations. We hope that the media will remain impartial and publish their articles after careful examination and fact-checking of all available information surrounding a story. We further pray for the families of all innocent Gazan civilians who have been killed during the war and we hope that their lives will be fully restored.”

A recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that 48 percent of voters between 18 and 24 support Hamas in the current conflict. According to Steven Davidoff Solomon, a corporate law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, “Universities have been engaging for far too long in moral equivocation, and terrorist attacks against innocents should be condemned and not justified.”

Amidst escalating tensions on college campuses, 20-year-old Melanie Schwartz, a junior at Cornell, told American media, “Jewish students are fearful and isolated.” To help students facing hostility on college campuses, the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a private Catholic university in Ohio, has created an expedited transfer process.

“[W]ith too many universities preaching tolerance but practicing prejudice, we feel compelled to do more. We are witnessing a very troubling spike in antisemitism and serious threats against Jewish students. We want to offer them the chance to transfer immediately to Franciscan,” Father Dave Pivonka, president of Franciscan University, said.

“Our community will welcome them with generosity and respect,” Father Pivonka said. “Our religious differences will not cause any conflict. On the contrary, at Franciscan, our radical fidelity to Christ and the Catholic faith demands of us fraternal charity toward our Jewish brothers and sisters, as it does toward all people.”

Although Franciscan achieved record-high enrollment this academic year, university administrators are committed to accommodating and creating a haven for Jewish transfer students. (FN / VFI News)

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” - 1 Corinthians 13:2

Afghan women were buried alive in their homes after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, as they were afraid of going outside without their hijabs, it has emerged.

Rescue efforts following the October 7 earthquake, which hit western Afghanistan and killed more than 2,000, were also hindered by a Taliban directive that forbids women and men who do not know each other from mixing.

An anonymous female rescue worker told the media that the arbitrary rules meant male rescuers were reluctant to help women, leading to a higher death toll among women.

UN relief agencies said 90 percent of the victims in one large city, Herat, were women and children. “Most of the patients were women and children because they were at home when the earthquake hit,” Dr Qasem Sadat, a health official in the region, said.

The UN revealed several women affected by the earthquake were also unable to access aid without the national identity card of a male relative. Additionally, cultural norms have made it impossible for women to share tents with their neighbors or other family, the UN said.

“When natural disasters strike, women and girls are impacted most and often considered least in crisis response and recovery,” Alison Davidian, the UN special representative for women in Afghanistan, said in a message. (DM /VFI News)

“God, we pray that You extend Your generous shield of protection over Afghan women and children. We offer our heartfelt condolences to everyone who mourns the victims of the earthquake and we hope that such tragedies will not come to pass again. May You help these communities ensure the safety of all their citizens regardless of age, gender, and beliefs.”

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

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