Peace Deal Promises to Bring Hostages Home

Good morning!

The scale of relief among Israelis is difficult to fully understand. The announcement of an agreement that will return all hostages promises to end a two-year nightmare that has dominated Israeli life, exhausted their emotions, and consumed their energies in ceaseless war. Little wonder, then, that on what Benjamin Netanyahu has called “a great day for Israel,” the streets are filled with jubilation and eyes are filled with tears.

The recognition that this deal has been made with an unrepentant murderous terrorist regime demands guarded optimism and the acknowledgement of some unpleasant truths. We touch on a couple of these in our first story this morning.

[BRIEF]

Peace deal promises to bring hostages home: Israel and Hamas have reportedly agreed to the first phase of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan. This means an immediate ceasefire and the release, reportedly by Monday, of all remaining Israeli hostages—thought to be 20 living people and 28 bodies. Trump hailed the agreement as heralding “peace in the Middle East.”

Other terms of this preliminary phase of the deal:

• The Israel Defense Forces withdraw to a designated line in Gaza
• Israel releases around 1,700 to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners
• Unimpeded entry of aid (food, medicine, fuel, commercial goods) into Gaza via all crossings

Assuming everybody lives up to their obligations, this deal is momentous.

• Hamas’s one piece of leverage over Israel—threatening to execute hostages—will now be gone.
• The plan obligates Israel to hand over military control of Gaza to an international peacekeeping force whether Hamas is cooperative or not. So it appears very likely that, whatever happens, Gaza is due for major changes.

Amid all the celebrations, many questions remain, and reservations about the longer-term implications are justified.

Before the war truly ends, Hamas must still commit to disarm and relinquish rule of Gaza, which they have rejected in the past. Nevertheless, Israel will be under immense pressure from the international community to make this peace lasting—even if Hamas finds a way to hold on to a presence in Gaza.

• After two long years, Israel’s war-weary population could also lack the stomach to continue fighting. This could mean an end to the war even if the rest of the peace plan is not implemented.

The Trumpet expects regime change in Gaza soon. This is because of an end-time prophecy in Psalm 83. The psalmist describes a coalition of nations that assemble to cut off “Israel” from being a nation—a coalition that, along with a collection of Arab states and Germany, includes “the Philistines,” a term for the modern-day Palestinians. Gaza was an ancient Philistine city-state. (Read about this in “Another, More Mysterious Alliance,” Chapter 4 of Gerald Flurry’s booklet The King of the South.)

The Trumpet expects Gaza to shift allegiance from Hamas’s Iranian puppet regime (which, as The King of the South explains, belongs to a rival power bloc) to Europe and the “moderate” Arab states. Mr. Flurry writes:

Right now Gaza’s immediate future is unclear. But whoever reconstructs the rubble that is the Gaza Strip, it is clear that the main obstacle to Gaza aligning with Germany—Hamas’s undisputed stranglehold on the territory—is now history. Gaza is no longer a part of Iran’s proxy empire. You can be sure that, whatever unexpected developments affect Gaza, Germany, one way or another, will become Gaza’s new master.

However this peace deal unfolds, expect events in Gaza to play out just as Mr. Flurry—and the Bible—describe.

The EU’s billion-euro AI plan: On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, announced a €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) plan with two key strategies:

• The Apply AI Strategy aims to accelerate the adoption of AI in Europe’s key industries and public sector.
• The AI in Science Strategy aims to make Europe a leader in AI-driven research and scientific excellence.

The EU is generally considered behind the U.S. and China on AI. This is a sign of their intent to stay in the game.

I want the future of AI to be made in Europe. Because when AI is used, we can find smarter, faster and more affordable solutions. AI adoption needs to be widespread, and with these strategies, we will help speed up the process. … We will drive this “AI first” mindset across all our key sectors, from robotics to health care, energy and automotive.
—Ursula von der Leyen

Former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg emphasized the importance of AI in 2019:

Artificial intelligence is still something Europe could shape. We have a well-established industry, which still has to be far more connected to the new technologies. But once this happens, it will develop a totally different field of power than a purely technological or digitalization firm.

A lot has happened since Guttenberg made that statement. It now has four of the world’s top 10 supercomputers; it is constructing at least four gigafactories; it is investing heavily in talent, research and infrastructure; and, as a European Commission press release from yesterday said, “the EU is well positioned to accelerate the use of AI in key sectors and science.”

Few are paying attention to the developments in Europe. However, Bible prophecy clearly shows that Europe will suddenly develop into an astonishing superpower. And as Gerald Flurry explained in “AI and Understanding Dark Sentences,” There are even specific indications that AI could play a role.

IN OTHER NEWS

Russia upset at Trump’s missile offer: Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned President Trump yesterday not to give Ukraine access to long-range missiles that could strike targets deep inside Russia. The warning was a response to Trump implying on Monday that America may sell the 1,550-mile range Tomahawk missiles to the Ukrainians to help them better defend against and pressure Russia. “The hypothetical use of such systems is only possible with the direct involvement of American personnel,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. “We urge the U.S. leadership and the U.S. military to take a sober, reasonable, responsible approach to this situation.” The Trump administration appears to be ending its failed appeasement strategy toward Moscow, instead adopting a more assertive approach aimed at pressuring Russia to end its brutal war. But given the erratic nature of U.S. foreign policy, along with America’s war weariness and internal divisions, such an approach is unlikely to be forceful enough to deter Vladimir Putin’s aggressive ambitions.

France to get a new prime minister in 48 hours: Outgoing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu indicated he had hammered out a compromise to avoid fresh elections in France. Delaying or even canceling Emmanuel Macron’s pensions reforms—his most notable achievement thus far—could be on the table. But there’s still a long way to go before France’s leadership crisis is solved.

Right-wing youth crimes in Germany double: Back in 2020, German authorities recorded around 3,200 right-wing extremist-motivated crimes by individuals age 24 or under. Four years later, in 2024, this figure had more than doubled to over 7,100. It is just one troubling sign among many of how the extremes are rising in Germany.