Gaza (MNN) — Who will join the United States-chaired “Board of Peace” for rebuilding Gaza? Representatives from Turkey, Poland, Russia, and other countries have already received invitations. But as seats fill, people in Gaza are in desperate need today.
Harsh winter weather beginning in early December has brought deep suffering to hundreds of thousands of those displaced by the Israel-Hamas war. Another storm is on the way.
“It’s raining like crazy, and it’s cold, and most of the people are living in tents,” says Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center.
Sharaiha says some people miss the fact that the October 10 Israel-Hamas ceasefire has not ended Gaza’s struggle. Families face the challenge of finding food and good living conditions. Nearly 800,000 displaced people are camping in flood-prone areas, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
On top of daily life needs, danger continues from Israeli forces. Palestinian officials say that continued fire from Israel has killed more than 460 people in Gaza since the ceasefire began.
“Hope is a big, big, big word that is missing in Gaza right now. What is the hope for tomorrow?. Again, I’m not only talking about the minority of Christians still hanging on there, but I’m talking about the whole population of Gaza,” says Sharaiha.
“What is missing is hope for all people now. Yes, [they] talk about peace and ‘phase two.’ But if people cannot feel it on the ground, then it doesn’t make any sense.”
(Photo from Gaza Strip courtesy Jaber Jehad Badwan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
In all the complexities and tragedy on all sides of the Israel-Hamas war, prayer is the place to start. Pray for the gospel to penetrate deeper into Gaza. Pray for provision and endurance for those trapped in Gaza.
“My prayer, my hope, is that something will happen and people can find the right solution for this, and hope will be gained,” says Sharaiha. “My prayer is that the people of [Gaza] will find out that [their] only hope is in Christ, and that this hope will give them hope for the future,” says Sharaiha.
Header photo: Children among the rubble in the Gaza Strip (Photo courtesy of Mohammed Ibrahim via Unsplash).
