The horrific attacks of October 7th on Israeli by Hamas,designated a terrorist organization by many governments, let loose a cascade of violence which has rocked the region. Since 1400 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed during the rampage, Gaza has been under bombardment by the IDF as part of the offensive to destroy Hamas. Sadly, thousands of Gazan civilians have died as a result, hundreds of them childrem.
The majority of the residents of Gaza are Muslims but there is a tiny Christian presence as well. During these past two weeks we've heard about a Roman Catholic church in the city of Gaza providing sanctuary for hundreds of people. There is an Anglican-run hospital which was hit by a rocket, source unknown, killing at least one hundred people. Another missile exploded in the compound of a Greek Orthodox church killing 18 people, all but one being Christians.
Late last week the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, arrived in Jerusalem for a solidarity visit with Christian leaders. He walked a delicate line in speaking about the conflict.
Yesterday Christians in Gaza and Jerusalem offered prayers on behalf of Christian brothers and sisters whose lives have been disrupted catastrophically and for those who have been injured or died.
We prayed for the region within our safe and secure worship service here in Canada yesterday and I hope we all continue to do so and consider how we might provide practical support for people who have run out of even the basics of daily living.
Here is the link to the United Church of Canada website for making a financial contribution to our trusted partners.
https://united-church.ca/social-action/act-now/humanitarian-crisis-middle-east
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