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| Rockets fired from Gaza, photograph taken 7 October |
Recently, Israel experienced wide-scale attacks from the neighbouring territory of Gaza. Led by the Islamic Palestinian organisation Hamas, the attackers launched operations over land, sea and air. As of 8 October 2023, about 600 Israelis have been killed and thousands wounded.
In response, Israel described this as a "war", and bombed Gaza after warning of a revenge strike,. This retaliation killed abut 370 people.
In this post, I want to briefly summarised how Christian organisations have responded in this crisis.
Responses from Christians
As with any wars, there is a tendency to be partitioned in the support. Certain Christian organisations, like Christianity Today is explicit in its support for Israel. This is unsurprising as there are calls by Muslim leaders to support Hamas based on religious brotherhood alone.
Nevertheless, majority of the Christians I see are praying for a quick end to the bloodshed, with most condemning the killing of innocents. Both the Pope and the Latin Patriarch of Jersualem (Roman Catholic leader of Jerusalem) called for descalation. The Patriarch's official statement is here.
The Archbishops of York and Canterbury have called for restraint and a quick path to peace. The Lutheran World Federation also called for international efforts for a swift ceasefire.
Despite differing attitudes with regards to the methods of peace, it is obvious that we should desire a peaceful outcome. As Jesus said,
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God. -- Matthew 5: 7-9
