Israel (MNN) — The Israel-Hamas ceasefire was tested on Tuesday after Hamas returned the bodies of only four deceased hostages on Monday. Israel responded to this delay — which it called a violation of the ceasefire agreement — by declaring it will reduce Gaza aid deliveries. The remains of an additional four hostages were transferred to Israeli Defense Force custody late Tuesday night.
In the rising tensions, Ilya Butolin with Beit Hallel Congregation focuses on the return of the 20 living captives.
“After [the] seventh of October, each family, each person in Israel had either a friend or a relative or a close family that [has] been in captivity or [has] been hurt from the war,” says Butolin. “Seeing how they held the hostages was really hard, because it’s personal. It’s almost like your family [is] in captivity.”
The hostage’s release on Monday was deeply significant for another reason. October 13 marked the end of the Feast of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), which commemorates when God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
“So it’s a big celebration, on one hand, of when we received the Law, the Torah. But then, on the other hand, there is a big celebration that our people are coming back home,” Butolin says. “I can’t even explain in words how much of a big deal it is.”
There’s much to pray for
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. It’s the main thing that we as believers in Jesus have to stand on,” says Butolin. “It’s really important. It’s biblical.”
Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo courtesy of Dariusz Kanclerz/Unsplash)
Pray for the families of the hostages who did not come back alive, that they will find their hope and healing in God alone. Pray the same for the 20 men released from captivity.
“My prayer, it’s that there’ll be no other thing [for the freed hostages] — no PTSD — except one thing: there will be God. God will be showing [Himself in] this time,” says Butolin. “And I believe that these people will see the Lord. That’s our prayer, that all Israel will be saved.”
Then, keep praying. Butolin says Monday was a massive celebration. But one quarter of the almost 2,000 prisoners that Israel released on Monday had been “convicted of crimes including murder and deadly attacks against Israelis,” the BBC reports.
“But [for] the future, we’re still dealing with a terror organization. It’s one step closer to the peace, but it’s not complete peace in Israel,” Butolin says. “It will be really important to continue to pray for other [war] fronts, for the northern [front] with Lebanon and Syria, with Iran, with the Houthis. We believe that there will be peace with all of them.”
Header photo: Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, Israel, October 13, 2025 (Photo courtesy of Oren Rozen via Wikimedia Commons. Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)
