Today, we're talking about ongoing hostage negotiations in Gaza, the latest failed attempt

to find a speaker of the house, the NBA's season tip-off, and other top news for Wednesday,

October 25th, stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the poor over today.

Here's the quote of the day. Our character is determined not by our circumstances,

but by our reaction to those circumstances. Chuck Coulson. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

Hamas has released more hostages. Two elderly Israeli women for humanitarian reasons.

Over 220 hostages remain captive, including the women's husbands.

Negotiations to release 50 more hostages stalled when Hamas conditioned their release on Israel

allowing fuel into Gaza, which Israel says it won't do until all hostages are released,

wanting to keep fuel from getting into Hamas's hands. The lack of fuel is crippling hospitals

and relief agencies, which are reeling from air strikes that Israel says hit hundreds of Hamas

targets, and Gaza says killed over 700 Palestinians on Monday and Tuesday. To buy time for negotiations,

the US is urging Israel to delay its ground offensive,

ahead of which Google and Apple have announced a temporary disabling of live traffic updates in

Israel and Gaza, something Google also did in Ukraine to prevent the tracking of military movements.

As you mourn the tragic loss of life and pray for leaders to bring hostages home,

remember that our God is a shepherd who relentlessly searches for lost sheep.

He will never tire or give up until the last one comes home to him. Ezekiel 34,

verses 11, 12, 15, and 16 says, for this is what the sovereign lord says,

I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. I will rescue them from all the places where

they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down

declares the sovereign lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up

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