Increased provcation from Gaza

A dangerous situation is developing between Israel and Iran's proxies in the Gaza Strip. Iran suspects that Israel and/or other countries in the West are behind the Stuxnet virus and the recent assassination attempts against their nuclear scientists. And as a result, Iran could be encouraging Hamas to ratchet up its harassment against Israel. Over the past few days the number of rocket and mortar attacks has increased, and Wednesday night one Israeli was wounded by an exploding mortar shell. Israel encouraged all residents of the area to stay in protected areas in their homes.

Israel will respond to the increased attacks, and it's possibility the violence could ratchet up dramatically. Israel's Chief of General Staff has already warned that the situation is "very fragile and may deteriorate rapidly."

Israel can't allow terrorists from Gaza to continue launching attacks against its citizens. At the same time, an attack against Gaza could result in retaliation from Hezbollah in Lebanon. The situation is tense.

And that makes it a critical time for us to pray.

• Pray for wisdom on the part of Israel's leadership to know how best to respond.
• Pray for the physical protection of those who live under the threat of these terrorist attacks.
• Pray for the followers of Christ in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon. Help them to be bold in their witness for Him.