Gaza Christians Share Concerns

Once again, the 600 or so Christians who shelter in two churches in Gaza City are facing difficult decisions.

Yesterday, Israeli Defense Forces issued an order for residents of the northern city to evacuate to Khan Younis in the south to a designated “humanitarian zone.” The order came after Hamas released a video Friday of Israeli hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel. Guy said he was being held in Gaza City along with other captives.

In July, we prayed for those wounded and mourning after a blast killed three Christians at Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City. Praise God, Shadi Abu Dawood’s son is receiving treatment in Israel and is improving, and the other nine who were wounded are stable.

In his most recent letter to Christian Mission to Gaza supporters, the former pastor of Gaza Baptist Church, Hanna Massad wrote, “As we approach the second year since the war in Gaza began, the situation has only grown more desperate. What once felt unimaginable has become daily reality for millions, an unrelenting crisis marked by hunger, displacement, and grief.

“Official figures report that at least 170 people, including 93 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since October 2023. But this is only a glimpse of the truth. Broader assessments suggest (that the number) of people who may have died from starvation-related causes, including those indirectly lost to the collapse of care and support systems, could be much higher. 

“Even the search for food has become deadly. Between May and July alone, more than 1,200 civilians were killed while trying to access food. Among them was a neighbor’s relative, who went out in search of food for his six children. He never returned. Another family member was later killed in the north, possibly while trying to check on his apartment or seeking food again. In Gaza, even ordinary actions can turn fatal.

“One of our leaders shared a heartbreaking story he received from a young man he is discipling. This believer had gone with his 32-year-old cousin to a food distribution site. Only one of them came back. The cousin was shot in the neck and died on the spot.

“Each morning, displaced families divide their efforts: One person searches for food. Another looks for water. Someone else goes for firewood. Others try to find bathrooms, supplies, or news of aid. Entire days are spent trying to meet the most basic needs. Most aid that does arrive is stolen or intercepted before it can reach the people who need it most.

“One young man explained that he receives flour from a friend, but only when that friend returns alive. He had given his friend his only pair of tennis shoes, since the friend was barefoot. In return, every time the friend makes it back safely from an aid run, he brings back two kilos of flour. This simple act of trust and solidarity carries unimaginable risk.

“Today, 90% of Gaza’s population lacks access to clean drinking water. Most families survive on less than three liters per day, far below what is needed to stay healthy. The main aquifer is nearly unusable, and public sanitation has collapsed. Raw sewage runs through crowded streets. Toilets are broken. In the shelters, many girls cannot access basic hygiene and bathroom facilities.

“The UN has called it a total collapse of public health. UNICEF warns: ‘This is not just a water crisis. It’s a child survival crisis.'”

Praise God, in August, CMG was able to feed 2000 people in Gaza. See the video here.

The end of August “was the most violent for the residents of Gaza City. The bombardment did not stop for a moment; artillery, warplanes, and explosive robots destroyed everything around them,” wrote a Palestinian friend of Harriett Lawrence, who taught in Gaza before the war. “Fires broke out in the tents of the displaced near the northern Sheikh Radwan Market of Gaza City, after the Israelis dropped flaming bombs on them.”

“Can you imagine hearing bombs and explosions all night long?” Harriett wrote to prayer warriors. “Pray for the Christian community who are in the two churches. Pray for all of those living in tents or on the street. Pray for the children. For the Mamas who are now in charge of their households. Pray also for the hostages who are surely terrified, as well.

“Alice in Wonderland said, ‘When you can’t look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark.’ In Gaza, there is no bright side now. I am sitting with them in the dark.

“We praise you, God, that you are El Roi, the God who sees. You see every person. You know each situation. Thank you for being a God of compassion. You are always with us. You sit with us in the dark. We praise you and honor you tonight.“

Let’s join these Christians in prayer:

Lord, please be with the Christians in Gaza City right now. Let them feel Your presence and hear Your voice leading them to stay or to go. Be a Shield around them and keep them from harm. Give them wisdom in every situation and provide for their needs. We praise You for Your healing hand on the ten who were wounded and for the food provided to both Christians and Muslims through Gaza Baptist Church and CMG. Continue to give Your church favor there. Care for the wounded, grieving, sick and hungry all throughout Gaza like only You can, and bring Your salvation near. Make a way for the millions who have never heard Your good news to at last find You. Invade their dreams. Speak to them as they sleep, as they wake, and all throughout the day. When they cry out to You, answer them in such a way they will know it is You. Don’t let even one more person die without knowing Your great love and plan for their salvation. Now, in the midst of so much suffering, we ask You, Lord, to break forth a church planting movement all throughout Gaza that is out of control, with thousands turning to You, O God of Love. For You loved them so much You gave Your Son to die for them so they can be saved. Give every heart a hunger for Truth and show them Jesus. We pray also for every Hamas terrorist. Invade their space. Get up in their face. Break the chains that bind them to hatred and violence. Lift the veil from their eyes so they will see You as You truly are, and bring them to their knees in repentance and fear of the Lord. Have mercy on Gaza and on Israel. Awaken every heart to You and bring an end to this war. In the powerful name of the Prince of Peace. Amen.

Read and pray more at our Israel-Gaza page.

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