In the UK, the Christian Muslim Forum and Council of Christians and Jews are among those calling for an immediate ceasefire after nearly two weeks of conflict. Their calls have been backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who said that violence would “have no lasting effect except to reinforce the misery and insecurity of everyone in the region”.
Biblelands said its partner in Gaza City, the St John Eye Centre, had reported that although aid was trickling through, a “huge logistical problem” remained in distributing it to Palestine’s 1.5 million residents.
The centre’s nursing coordinator said that the children sharing his apartment block were “terrified, crying and screaming” during the prolonged attacks, echoing concerns raised by World Vision and Open Doors USA over high levels of trauma experienced by children in the region.
Jacky Jaidy, matron of St John Eye Centre, said, “Unfortunately it seems inevitable that another generation of traumatised children are in the making in Gaza.”
Earlier in the week, Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather called for an immediate halt to the violence and for refugees to have full access to humanitarian aid.
“The Epiphany story highlights the human cost of violence, and Christians retelling this story in churches this week should be reminded of the significance of the places in the story to real families today,” she said.
“The journey the Holy family made at Epiphany would not be possible this week because the boarders at Erez and Rafah are closed.
“I hope that Christians will give active support, as well as prayer, to those families today who are desperate for humanitarian aid, and desperate to escape from misery and violence in the Holy Land.”
On Saturday, the Vice President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Rev Patrick Kelly will lead a delegation of European and North American bishops on a weeklong peace mission to the Holy Land. The visit includes meetings with Christians in Bethlehem and Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Archbishop Kelly called for “wise and courageous leadership” to secure peace for future generations.
