Friday, June 20, 2025
Every week, we post seven to ten news stories from Israel with a suggested prayer focus and scripture for each one, guiding readers how to pray for Israel’s most urgent needs. Thank you for standing as a watchman on the walls of Jerusalem, faithfully interceding for the Jewish people. Your prayers are powerful and deeply valued. Sign up HERE if you would like to receive this Prayer Update by e-mail.
Prayer Highlights:
As Israel enters the second week of a war for her survival against Iran and its Axis of Terror, we are presenting the prayer update in a different format. We are highlighting five specific areas to focus our prayers. You are invited to expand the points as the Lord leads you. Thank you for standing with Israel in prayer during this time.
Protection from Missiles
- Pray for the pilots of the IAF who fly missions deep into Iranian territory and eliminate missile launching sites
- Pray for those who man Israel’s missile defense weapons—the Iron Dome and the Arrow, asking the Lord to keep them alert and calm as they assess locations and intercept incoming missiles. Pray for communities like Bat Yam that have faced devastating damage and must rebuild their lives.
- Give thanks for the early warning alerts that allow Israelis additional time to enter shelter. Pray for those in older buildings without reinforced rooms and also for the elderly who find it difficult to get to public shelters which have many stairs.
Scripture:
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2
Israel is Waging This War for the Entire Western World
By Steve Linde ~ JNS
Thursday, 19 June 2025 | Although his city was devastated by Iranian ballistic missiles in the early morning hours of June 15, Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot is convinced that Israel will emerge victorious and safer after the war against Iran.
“I think that the war that Israel is waging right now is the war for the entire Western world,” he told a group of foreign journalists on a Government Press Office [GPO] tour on Wednesday, five days after the war began. “I think that more and more people today understand that.”
Asserting that the war between Israel and Iran is not a dispute about borders or land, Brot told the delegation of journalists, “It’s about values; the values that Israel and the rest of the Western world share; the values of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, human rights, women’s rights.״
For Bat Yam residents, Brot personifies the resilient spirit of the Israeli people and what they call “the beautiful face of Israel.”
A former journalist and political strategist, he is affable and articulate, knowing how to speak effectively to visiting politicians and diplomats, local residents and foreign reporters.
Since the missile attack, which killed at least nine people, wounded dozens and demolished dozens of buildings, Brot has hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, among others.
“Our residents are strong. They tell me to tell the prime minister and the president and everyone who was here in the last two days that our spirit is strong. We want them to continue the war,” he said. “This is a reminder that an enemy like Iran is a very dangerous enemy to the world, not just to Israel, even without nukes.”
Pointing to the shattered buildings around him, he said, “A nuclear weapon, of course, is something that they cannot have, but even with conventional weapons, look what they do!”
‘Everybody Supports this Mission’
Brot called for patience on the part of the Israeli public. “We took a hit, the biggest hit Bat Yam ever took—nine people killed in one day. This is something that we never had before. Everyone is tired of Iran threatening to destroy Israel. So I think everyone should have a lot of patience to give all the time to the IDF and to the air force that they need in order to succeed and finish the mission.”
He told journalists that Bat Yam, a picturesque beach resort on the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the biggest cities in Israel, with a population of some 170,000. He noted that the buildings damaged by the Iranian missile strike, including the high-rise that took a direct hit, were built in the 1960s and ’70s and now needed major reconstruction.
“As you can see here, the damage is huge. Actually, it’s the biggest destruction site from a missile strike on Israel ever,” he said. “We will win this war; we will rebuild and we will become much stronger.”
Guiding journalists on a tour of a building that collapsed, he pointed out that the explosion from the massive missile damaged 75 buildings, 22 of which are in immediate danger and need to be demolished. He said the nine people killed included a family with two children who made aliyah [immigrated to Israel] from Ukraine.
“The building that collapsed was recently renovated, but there was no mamad (‘safe room’), only a bomb shelter on the first floor. And every person who went to the shelter or even to the stairwell got out without any harm, or maybe just scratches. But all the people who died stayed in their bedrooms.”
Sa’ar’s Visit
When Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked Brot during a solidarity visit with foreign diplomats on Wednesday, he went out of his way to portray the mayor as a future leader. “He has great potential,” Sa’ar said.
Brot, 45, born and bred in Bat Yam, is a member of the Likud who worked previously as a strategic political advisor and a senior correspondent for Army Radio and the Hebrew daily, Yediot Achronot.
Brot was hired in 2016 by the Republican Party to conduct an election campaign in Israel for US President Donald Trump, targeting some 250,000 Americans living in Israel. Then-Vice President Mike Pence praised an event Brot organized in Jerusalem’s Old City, broadcast live to America, as “a game-changer.”
Although he remains a strong supporter of Netanyahu, he turned down the premier’s offer to serve as his senior adviser and director of communications in favor of entering local politics. He was elected mayor in 2018.
After greeting Brot, Sa’ar took the delegation of foreign diplomats on a tour of the destroyed buildings in Bat Yam, showing them what he called “the results of the Iranian war crimes.”
“You can see very well there are no military facilities or installations around here, only population centers, only civilians,” he said. “But the Iranian regime is deliberately targeting population centers, deliberately targeting children, women, the elderly. And this is simply war crimes.”
Sa’ar added that despite Iran firing missiles at residential areas across the country, Israel was targeting only Iran’s military facilities and would continue “Operation Rising Lion” until the job is done.
“They [the Iranians] are doing all that while we are targeting their nuclear program, their missile program, military facilities,” he said. “And I want to emphasize we will continue until we remove this existential threat. We will continue until we achieve our mission and reach our objective.”
A Resident Speaks Out
Stephen Darori, a veteran Bat Yam resident who made aliyah from South Africa, said he was shaken by the missile attacks even though he supported the military campaign against Iran and even went out to buy large Israeli flags for the 20 residents of his building to hang.
“I lost my picture framer in Bat Yam and my dentist in Bnei Brak,” he lamented. “A brand-new 10-story building with dental clinics and a physiotherapy swimming pool in the basement and a specialized gym for stroke victims and soldiers in recovery took a direct hit that also destroyed the Chabad school and five yeshivot [religious schools] around it.”
He added, “Where the missile fell is minutes on foot from where I live, and the damage was considerably worse than the videos and stills portray,” he said. “Part of one high rise collapsed, others are threatening collapse, and yet another high rise is miraculously still standing after four of its seven pillars were blown away.”
Acknowledging that the mayor, Tzvika Brot, and his team “have done a remarkable job in cleaning up much of the mess,” Darori said, although he was a critic of the Netanyahu government, “The very successful attack on Iran has created a new level and dimension of patriotism and togetherness. Netanyahu’s trial, conscription issues, and sadly, the Gaza hostage drama have been shoved aside.”
Darori concluded: “Even after living in Israel for 40 years and becoming used to Israeli Air Force successes, the technical brilliance coupled with the intelligence preparation of the Mossad, military Intelligence and other specialized agencies astounds me.”
(This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on June 18, 2025. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)
https://www.jns.org/israel-is-waging-this-war-for-the-entire-western-world/
Israel’s Leaders (Political and Military)
Prayer Focus: Israel’s Leaders (Political and Military)
- As “Operation Lion” enters its second week, pray for continued unity in the government as a whole. Pray for steadfast endurance that will not bow to any pressure from the nations, should it come.
- Pray specifically for Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, that they will seek direction from the Lord and make wise decisions. Pray that any military action taken by the United States will be in line with God’s will and purpose for Israel.
- Pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s health as he leads the nation during this stressful time
Scripture:
Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; it shall not lie down until it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.
Numbers 23:24
Netanyahu, Trump Speak as US Weighs Joining Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites
Bby: Itamar Eichner, Daniel Edelson, New York
Wednesday, 18 June 2025 | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Donald Trump overnight Tuesday amid ongoing Israeli strikes on Iran and growing speculation that Trump may authorize American involvement in the fighting, including an attack on Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility. The call followed extended security consultations held in parallel in Washington and Jerusalem.
An Israeli official told CNN that “we are waiting for the decision of the president.” According to two Israeli sources who spoke with the network, Netanyahu has not explicitly asked Trump to join the military operation but is hoping Trump will reach that conclusion independently. One senior source said, “The whole operation is premised on the fact that the US will join at some point.”
CBS News reported that Trump is considering deploying US Air Force assets to join Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, following a National Security Council meeting earlier in the day.
NBC News reported that Trump is reviewing several options regarding Iran, including direct military action. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Kane and other senior military officials were seen leaving the White House after the meeting.
While the international community watches Trump closely, wondering whether the US will join Israel’s war against Iran, the White House released an unusually light public schedule for the president.
Aside from the swearing-in of Charles Kushner—father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared—as US ambassador to France and Monaco, the only other item is a closed-door lunch with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir. The timing of the meeting has drawn attention given Pakistan’s proximity to Iran.
According to the New York Times, Iran has already begun preparing missiles and other military equipment for potential retaliation against US bases in the Middle East, should the US enter the conflict.
Two officials with access to the intelligence said the Houthis may also resume attacks on American targets, which would mark their first such action since a ceasefire agreement was reached.
Fordow is Iran’s second most important uranium enrichment facility after the larger Natanz site, which was already hit in Israel’s opening strike. Located near the city of Qom, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Tehran, Fordow was built deep into a mountainside at an estimated depth of 260 to 300 feet (80 to 90 meters) to withstand airstrikes.
Iran began its construction around 2006 but only disclosed its existence in 2009 after Western intelligence agencies had already discovered it. Then-US President Barack Obama said the facility’s size and structure were “inconsistent with a peaceful nuclear program.”
Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, uranium enrichment at Fordow was to be halted entirely for 15 years. However, Iran resumed operations following the US withdrawal from the agreement.
The site now houses around 2,000 centrifuges, most of them advanced IR-6 models, with approximately 350 enriching uranium to 60% purity, according to a Reuters report. In 2024, Iran was reported to have significantly expanded the facility.
Fordow has also been the target of alleged sabotage attempts. In 2013, Western media reported an explosion that supposedly destroyed much of the site and trapped hundreds of workers.
Tehran denied the incident but acknowledged a separate explosion the year prior that damaged high-voltage power lines supplying the facility—disrupting power is one known method of disabling centrifuges. In 2022, Iran claimed it had foiled another sabotage plot allegedly orchestrated by Mossad [Israel’s intelligence agency], involving the recruitment of a neighbor of one of the site's employees.
(This article was originally published by Ynetnews on June 18, 2025. See original article at this link.)
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkibtskvxg
License: Wikimedia
Security & Medical Personnel
- Pray for all those involved with the security of Israel, especially those serving in Judea and Samaria. Pray that they will have intelligence about any planned terror attacks in time to prevent them. Pray for the Home Front Command which is overseeing citizen responses to missile barrage alerts.
- Pray for the first responders of Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah and Zaka who pull the injured and dead out of collapsed buildings. Ask the Lord to give them strength and endurance for the task set before them.
- Pray for the doctors and nurses who are working many overtime hours in stressful conditions as many hospitals are now functioning underground to protect patients from missiles. Give thanks for the miracle at Soroka Hospital which received a direct hit but no lives lost!
Scripture:
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 31:24
Iranian Missile Hits Beersheva Hospital; 6 Seriously Wounded
By: Joshua Marks ~ JNS
Thursday, 19 June 2025 | At least six people were seriously wounded by an Iranian missile barrage on Israel on Thursday morning. Beersheva’s Soroka Hospital sustained a direct hit, and impacts were also reported in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Holon.
Four serious injuries were caused by a direct hit on a residential building in Holon, south of Tel Aviv, according to Wolfson Medical Center. The hospital said it was also treating 19 people listed in mild condition.
Two people were seriously injured in the direct hit in Ramat Gan, according to Hebrew media reports.
The barrage, comprising some 30 ballistic missiles, was the heaviest launched by the Islamic Republic in some 48 hours.
Emergency teams were responding at several sites, searching for wounded and treating several individuals for minor injuries, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom [national ambulance service]. In total, 22 individuals with mild injuries were receiving care and were being transported to hospitals.
Following direct missile strikes on residential buildings in central Israel, United Hatzalah volunteers provided initial treatment to three women in serious condition, two men in moderate condition, and more than 50 additional people who sustained mild injuries, including many suffering from emotional shock.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that a suspected leak of hazardous materials on one of the floors of Soroka Hospital was being investigated and that the area was being evacuated; however, it was later reported that fears of a leak had been ruled out.
“There has been damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damages, including injuries,” the Soroka spokesperson said, requesting that people not come to the medical center at this time and stating that further updates would be provided as soon as possible.
According to reports, part of the Soroka complex had been evacuated just a day before Thursday’s strike by a special order of the Health Ministry, including the floor hit by the missile.
“Just yesterday, they evacuated the old surgical building, which today took a direct hit. It’s a great miracle,” a doctor at Soroka told Kan News.
Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso called the Soroka strike “an act of terror” that crosses a red line.
“It is a war crime by the Iranian regime, deliberately targeting innocent civilians and medical teams dedicated to saving lives. The Health Ministry was prepared in advance, and thanks to the immediate actions we took, a major disaster was averted,” said Buso.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the Iranian regime “Nazis who launch missiles at hospitals, at the elderly, and at children.” If the regime had nuclear weapons, it would deploy them “’without even thinking for a second,’” he added.
He called “Operation Rising Lion,” Israel’s name for the campaign in Iran, “the most just campaign Israel has ever embarked on in its history.”
Ben-Gvir continued: “I embrace the citizens of Israel and strengthen the hands of the prime minister and my colleagues in the cabinet during these days. We are all united—to remove this threat once and for all, until the end and until absolute victory! The people of Israel live.”
(This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on June 19, 2025. See original article at this link.)
https://www.jns.org/iranian-missile-strikes-soroka-hospital-in-beersheva/
Gaza Front
- Continue to pray for the 53 remaining hostages, asking the Lord to sustain those who are still alive and comfort their family members and loved ones.
- Pray that the Lord will reveal any hidden booby traps in tunnels or buildings as the IDF continues the fight against Hamas. Ask the Lord to comfort the families of the soldiers who have been killed—21 men have lost their lives since the second ceasefire ended in mid-March 2025.
- Bring the US–Israeli led humanitarian aid effort before the Lord, praying for the safety of its workers and the safety of those who come for food.
Scripture:
Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God…Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. the LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.
Psalm 146:5, 7
Hamas Attacks Aid Group, Killing Five, Taking Hostages
By: Vita Fellig ~ JNS
Thursday, 12 June 2025 | Hamas attacked a bus carrying about two-dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation [GHF] team at about 10 p.m. in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with “at least five fatalities, multiple injuries and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,” the aid group stated.
The “local Palestinians,” who were “working side-by-side with the US GHF team,” were on the way to one of the US-backed aid group’s distribution centers west of Khan Younis, the foundation said.
“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,” it stated. “These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives everyday to help others.”
“Our hearts are broken and our thoughts and prayers are with every victim, every family and every person still unaccounted for,” the foundation said.
The group, which vowed to continue its mission “to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza” despite the “heinous attack,” stated that “tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity.”
“We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people,” it said.
The group, which is independent of the United Nations and tries to deliver aid to Palestinians without Hamas stealing the supplies, has endured threats from the terror group before, it said.
“This attack did not happen in a vacuum,” it said. “For days, Hamas has openly threatened our team, our aid workers, and the civilians who receive aid from us. These threats were met with silence.”
“The GHF holds Hamas fully responsible for taking the lives of our dedicated workers, who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation’s sites in central and southern Gaza,” it said.
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told JNS that “we are monitoring closely concerning reports of Hamas once again doing whatever it can to thwart humanitarian distribution efforts.”
“The Hamas terrorist regime has zero care for Israelis and, as we continue to see, has zero care for the people of Gaza,” the ambassador told JNS. “It’s why they launch terrorist attacks from urban settings and civilian infrastructure.”
AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] stated that “Hamas murdered Palestinian aid workers who were distributing food to Gazans.”
“The terrorists are targeting and killing Palestinians to try to preserve their despicable aid profit machine,” AIPAC said. “Anyone who has called for more aid to Gazans must loudly and unequivocally condemn Hamas.”
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote, “Hamas killing Palestinians working to deliver aid to Palestinians. Will this get reported? Don’t hold your breath.”
David May, research manager and a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, stated that “the perverse incentives of the international community will punish the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for having its staff murdered and reward Hamas for doing the murdering.”
“Hamas had threatened the GHF for weeks, and the world called to restore the aid channels Hamas was stealing from,” May said.
The foundation noted that earlier in the day, it brought about 2.5 million meals into the enclave—its largest single-day delivery to date.
(This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on June 11, 2025. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)
Vulnerable Israelis
- Pray for the nearly 150,000 Israelis who are stranded abroad, asking the Lord to provide for their material needs as well as safety when return flights are available
- Pray for those who suffer from PTSD as sounds from missile interceptions can trigger attacks of fear
- Pray for the families who have been separated by war, specifically those whose husbands and fathers are doing reserve duty in dangerous locations.
Scripture:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
Psalm 46:1–2
First Israeli Rescue Flight Lands at Ben Gurion
By: Roi Rubinstein ~ Ynet
Wednesday, 18 June 2025 | Israeli airline El Al’s first rescue flight from Larnaca, Cyprus landed Wednesday morning at Ben Gurion Airport, as part of the government’s operation led by the Transport Ministry.
The effort is aimed at bringing home Israeli citizens stranded abroad following widespread flight cancellations due to the war with Iran.
According to the plan, the Airports Authority increased staffing at the airport to ensure a quick and streamlined process for returning passengers, including expedited entry procedures and luggage collection.
After clearing the airport, passengers were directed to their vehicles in the parking lots or transported via shuttles and trains to city centers across the country.
In light of the security situation, the Airports Authority stressed the need to minimize time spent at the airport and urged the public not to come to greet returning passengers or to arrange taxis for pickups.
To aid with the transition, shuttle service between the flight terminal and nearby parking lots has been expanded. In coordination with the Transport Ministry, additional buses and trains were also made available to carry passengers from the airport to destinations nationwide.
(This article was originally published by Ynetnews on June 18, 2025. See original article at this link.)
https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/rj0o32y4lg
License: Wikimedia
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