Read Time: 4 min 55 sec | Reading Level: 7th Grade

WORLD NEWS

Israel and Hamas’s Ceasefire

After over a year of intense fighting, Israel and Hamas are on day 12 of a six-week peace agreement. 

Mediators from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar helped the two sides negotiate a three-phase plan. Here’s what they agreed to in phase 1 of the ceasefire:

• The fighting will stop, and Israeli troops will leave most of the Gaza Strip.

• About 2 million Palestinians who had to leave home because of fighting will return home. Trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and other needed supplies will flow into Gaza.

• Hamas will release 33 hostages—women, the elderly, and sick people. They’ll be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who are serving life sentences.

The ceasefire has had its rocky moments, but it’s held. Each side has accused the other of breaking their promises, causing delays. 

So far, seven women hostages have been freed. Thousands of Palestinians have returned to their homes in northern Gaza, but many buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Almost 60% of them are in bad shape.

There are still two more phases of the ceasefire that are meant to help Israel and Hamas work toward permanent peace. The next steps will begin next week.

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RESPOND
Join us in prayer for long-term peace, confident that God is able to spread across the globe the peace that he has given to those who trust him (Isaiah 26:3).

“Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.” 
Book of Common Prayer, page 654

What do I want to make sure my kids know in light of this story?
Peace is hard-fought and costly.

Kids who grow up in relative security may believe that peace is the default state of the world. But because of sin and our brokenness, conflict and struggle have been the norm throughout history around the world. Kids need to know that peace takes hard work and sacrifice.

Hebrews 12:14 tells us to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (NIV). Give peacemaking your all, whether with siblings who push your buttons, difficult neighbors, or outright rivals. Your hard work will be rewarded: “Peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18 NLT; see also Matthew 5:9).

What gospel lesson can be taught through this story?
Human peacemaking efforts can’t compare with God’s.

Even when we “make every effort” at peace, our best efforts are imperfect and temporary. We can’t bring about perfect peace; even when we get close, it’s fragile and easily unravels. But God’s plan for the world ends in permanent, perfect peace that can’t be undone by human brokenness. 

Jesus’s peace is radically different—thank God!—and he’s going to establish it forever: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful. You have heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I am coming to you’” (John 14:27–28 CSB). When he comes, “They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4 CSB).

• Make a peace plan for a conflict that happens again and again in your home. What will you do next time the problem arises? What will you say? What compromises will you make?

• Memorize Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (CSB).

• Pray for the restoration of hostages, prisoners, and refugees; pray for wisdom for the peacemakers who hope to negotiate a permanent end to Israel and Hamas’s conflict; and pray for each member of your family to be a peacemaker, even when it’s costly.

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