Latest News concerning Israel

Out of Zion Ministries is under the spiritual covering of Kehilat HaCarmel (Carmel Assembly),
Pastor  Mike Fryer  &  Motte Sircus 
The CARMEL ALERT  April 15th 2011
A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying
for the Restoration of Israel & the Jewish People

Shabbat Shalom .... David & Josie
THIS WEEKS NEWS REPORTS  
  1.  Gaza Rocket Attacks Continue    Ha Aretz News   Apr 9th     An Israeli air strike on a vehicle on Saturday killed a Hamas commander in the southern Gaza Strip and two of his bodyguards.  Meanwhile, residents of southern Israel spent the night in protected areas as cross-border fire with Gaza militants seriously escalated overnight.   A barrage of rockets and missiles were fired at southern Israel overnight, and the Iron Dome anti-missile system, deployed earlier in the week for the first time, succeeded in intercepting a rocket fired at Be'er Sheva.   The Israel Defense Forces spokesman's office confirmed that IAF jets attacked three top Hamas officials in the Gaza strip, as well as a smuggling tunnel and a truck carrying ammunition.  
   The early morning attack brought the two-day death toll from Israel's ongoing retaliation to 17 Gazans - 10 militants, a Hamas policeman and six civilians - amounting to the bloodiest tally since Israel and Hamas wrapped up their three-week-long war more than two years ago.  The IDF said it had "identified two terrorist squads from Hamas" and hit them from the ground and air.   Two years of low-level skirmishing on the border escalated suddenly last month when Hamas, which rules Gaza, fired a barrage of rockets at Israel. Hamas had largely withheld fire at Israel since a Gaza war of late 2008 in which 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.
   On Friday, a barrage of rockets and mortar shells was fired at Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip, and one of the shells exploded in a chicken coop in the Eshkol Regional Council in the Negev.   Rockets were fired near the south Israel city of Ashkelon, and the Iron Dome missile defense system was successful at intercepting three of them. One rocket fell in an open area near Ashkelon, and no one was hurt.   Later on Friday, two mortars were fired at a Negev town and two additional mortars exploded in open areas. Although no one was hurt, the mortars exploded near homes and chicken coops, causing damage.   On Thursday, IDF strikes in Gaza resulted in the death of five Palestinians, after Gaza militants fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus, wounding two people.  Hamas gunmen on Thursday fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus, wounding two. Hamas took responsibility for the bus attack, and an Israeli analyst said it was plainly smarting from recent setbacks, including an April 2 Israel airstrike that killed three Gazans, and which it had vowed to avenge.  The United Nations and European Union on Friday voiced concern over the rising tensions and called on the sides to show restraint and bring an end to the latest round of fighting.   Please pray for quiet to return ahead of the upcoming Passover festival in 2 weeks
2.  The World & Israel Impressed With Iron Dome System   Israel Today News    Apr 11     The head of the Israeli army’s research and development division told Army Radio on Sunday that there is growing interest worldwide in Israel’s new “Iron Dome” anti-missile system.  The first two Iron Dome batteries were deployed to southern Israel late last month amid escalating terrorist missile fire from the Gaza Strip.   During a weekend barrage from Gaza, the Iron Dome batteries succeeded in downing all but one of the missiles fired at the coastal city of Ashkelon. The Israeli army and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the performance a resounding success.   “The system’s success has resounded throughout the world, including in the European countries that I visited,” Netanyahu told his cabinet.   But Israel is not ready to start selling the system just yet. First, it needs to be perfected in its defense of Israeli civilians.
    To that end, the US Congress at the weekend approved the transfer of $205 million to Israel to build and deploy another four Iron Dome batteries to southern Israel over the next 18 months. Even with the additional batteries, Netanyahu cautioned that the threat of Gaza missiles cannot be completely eliminated.  During the weekend attack, Hamas and its terrorist allies showed that they can overcome the Iron Dome simply by firing more missile than it can handle. While the Iron Dome did stop eight missiles from hitting Ashkelon, it was helpless to stop the other 120 that hit other communities across southern Israel.  Israeli leaders argued on Sunday that the deployment of the Iron Dome must be accompanied by a sustained offensive military campaign to destroy Hamas’ ability to threaten southern Israel, or at the very least to create a strong deterrence.Please pray that all incoming missiles will be detected & destroyed3.  Egyptian Revolution Turns More Anti-Israel    Israel Today News   Apr 10    For those who thought the Egyptian revolution is done and past, think again. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may be gone, but the country is currently being ruled by a temporary military regime, which means there are various forces still vying for future control of the Middle East’s largest military power.  And with the world’s attention now diverted elsewhere, the revolution in Cairo is starting to take on a more overtly Islamic and anti-Israel flavor.   Over the weekend, Cairo’s Tahrir Square again filled with angry demonstrators who are still waiting for their full list of demands to be met. Among them was the Muslim Brotherhood, which last week officially announced its intention to take part, as a group, in renewed anti-government protests.  As the demonstration turned increasingly hostile, Egyptian soldiers opened fire, reportedly killing two demonstrators and wounding another 15, according to Cairo hospital officials. The army denied firing live ammunition at the crowd.  Not content with protesting their own new government, the demonstrators also marched on the Israeli embassy in Cairo. Gathered at the gates of the Israeli mission, the angry mob demanded that Egypt cut all ties to the Jewish state and stop supplying Israel with natural gas. They also wanted the Israeli flag flying atop the embassy to be removed.Please pray that the peace treaty with Egypt stays intact for as long as possible4. Israel Preparing for War on Several Fronts   ICEJ News   Apr 13th   Facing a declining number of aircraft in its arsenal due to normal wear and tear but fearing that the vaunted F-35 will not be ready in sufficient numbers by the time it will be urgently needed, the Israeli Air Force is reportedly considering the idea of buying a squadron of used F-15 fighters from the US. The F-35 might not arrive in Israel until 2018, and the gap in Israel's deterrence is seen as a critical issue as a recent IDF assessment reports to the increasing likelihood of Israel fighting wars of the future on multiple fronts, as due to recent events in Egypt and the international arena, the Jewish State's strategic position has degraded to the worst point since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.Please pray that the Israeli military will be ready to protect the nation in any eventuality5.  Egyptian Presidential Candidate Threatens War with Israel    Mike Evans News Report   Apr 2011
     In an interview with an Arab-language newspaper, Egyptian presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei said that if Israel launches attacks on Gaza while he was president, "we would declare war against the Zionist regime." He also said that he would open the Rafah border crossing (closed by Hosni Mubarak to prevent terrorists from smuggling weapons) and "consider different ways to implement the joint Arab defense agreement."   ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency who stonewalled efforts to stop the nuclear program in Iran and to find evidence of Saddam Hussein's nuclear ambitions, is considered one of the leading candidates for the office in this fall's elections for Egypt's new government. His use of the radical Islamist formulation constantly used by Iran's Ahmadinejad, "the Zionist regime" to avoid calling the Jewish state Israel, is a further indication of his viewpoint. 6.  Italian Jornalist Abducted & Hanged in Gaza    Ha Aretz News  Apr 15th     The body of an Italian pro-Palestinian activist was found hanging in the home of a Palestinian militant in the Gaza Strip early Friday, hours after he was reportedly kidnapped. Hamas officials reported that the body of Vittorio Arrigoni, 36, was discovered in the home of a member of the Monotheism and Holy War group that claimed responsibility for the abduction in a video released Thursday.   An Italian doctor was reportedly on his way to Gaza from Israel to identify Arrigoni's body.   The video released by the militant group shows a man with a thick black blindfold and a large bruise on his face. Apparently seated, he is held in front of the camera by an unseen person.  In a message on the video, the extremist group demanded that Hamas free its leader, arrested in early March, and two other members whose names had not been previously known. Please pray that the world realises that if the Muslims kill their friends, what hope is there for peace for Israel