“The silence of the international community is as deadly as the weapons in Gaza,” Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic church in the Strip, told SIR. The Argentine-born priest has been providing sanctuary for approximately 500 displaced Christians within the church complex since the onset of the hostilities between Hamas and Israel. The Israeli army issued yet another evacuation warning to residents of Gaza City (the parish is located in the al-Zaitoun neighbourhood, Ed.’s note) and Jabalya, as he speaks, announcing the extension of military operations, according to reports from a number of Israeli media outlets.
His words reflect a stark reality: “Gaza is home to 2.3 million people, including myself. No one knows what to expect anymore. One day, we are told that a truce is imminent; the next, evacuation orders are issued in anticipation of military operations. One day, humanitarian aid is announced; the next, Israel blocks its entry. Everyone is under severe psychological strain.” Chronic shortages of water, medicine, food, electricity and fuel hardly need to be mentioned by the priest to illustrate the gravity of living conditions affecting people living in Gaza. The international community is well aware of these facts, yet appears powerless to act.
“This situation has had a severe impact on our community here in the parish. Our supplies have been carefully rationed to provide for the displaced persons and the many Muslim families living in the surrounding area,” the missionary from the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) explained.
“We try to nurture hope through prayer
and by providing support to families, young people, and children. We organised recreational and faith-based activities for them. Unfortunately, we had to suspend these activities this morning due to nearby bombings,” said Father Gabriel. “At this very moment, I hear a loud blast, the sound of a bomb having fallen nearby. I instructed everyone to take refuge in the church. After 633 days, the situation remains the same.”
From the battlefield to the diplomatic arena: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that Israel is “serious in its will to reach a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza”, although ‘there are, of course, significant gaps between the two sides’ positions.” Israel remains “committed to achieving its objectives” in Gaza and “to continue facilitating humanitarian aid”, said Minister Sa’ar, expressing his appreciation for the direct assistance provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to civilians in Gaza, supported by the United States and Israel. But the death toll of Palestinians killed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) while waiting in line to receive humanitarian aid from the GHF, which manages food distribution on behalf of Israel and the US, has risen to over 500. At a press conference in Doha, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that “there are currently no talks about a ceasefire in Gaza, but contacts are being maintained to find a formula for resuming negotiations”. “We see positive language from Washington about reaching a ceasefire,” he said, noting that Qatar continues to press for a separation between the issues of the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and a ceasefire.
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- Parrocchia latina Gaza
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- Parrocchia latina Gaza
The death toll continues to rise. “All we know here,” remarks the parish priest, “is that the death toll is rising. People wander from one part of the Strip to another, dragging behind them whatever possessions they have left.”
It feels as though human hope had been obliterated by the bombs. Faith alone sustains us; prayer alone keeps us strong. Our prayers go out to the world leaders who not only have the right to raise their voices, they also have the duty to denounce the situation here in the Strip. This war must not come to be accepted as normal.”
