Seven hundred Christians living in the Catholic church in Gaza were able to visit their homes and apartments for the first time since the beginning of the war, thanks to an ongoing ceasefire.
"People wanted to see if they would still have a place to return to. Many houses are completely destroyed," explains Sister Nabila Saleh. She indicates that more and more Christians are considering emigration. "People want to live in safety and offer a better future to their children," she told Vatican Radio while working in Gaza.
Sister Nabila Saleh revealed that currently, entire Christian families are living in the Latin parish, feeling safe only in that place. People believe that despite the horror of the war, the church will not become a target of potential attacks. As soon as the ceasefire was announced, many people decided to hastily visit their abandoned homes.
"Among the rubble, people retrieved family mementos, but above all they were looking for food, water, and medicine," said Sister Nabila Saleh. She emphasized that the humanitarian aid provided to Gaza is still insufficient. The religious sister noted that some areas, called "red zones," controlled by Israeli tanks, remain inaccessible.
Sister Nabila emphasized that important support for the Christians of Gaza comes not only from Pope Francis's calls to end the war and begin dialogue, but also from the Pope's almost daily phone calls.
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"In our community of exiles, we pray for the swift release of all hostages," said the religious sister. She added that the coming Advent will take place under the sign of supplication to God for the gift of lasting peace. Sister Nabila confessed that people are discouraged, and more and more Christians are thinking of emigrating. Between October 7 and November 20, Australian authorities issued 800 visas to Palestinians and 1700 to Israeli citizens. Australian authorities adopted a similar approach after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, issuing 3000 visas at the time, and 5000 to Afghans after the Taliban returned to power in that country.
"We do not know what the future holds for us; for now, we support each other in our community. Prayer gives rhythm to our days, where we also try to save the childhood of the youngest, who are terrified by the noise of the bombings and the impossibility of leaving the parish grounds," said Sister Nabila. She calls on people of goodwill around the world to pray for the restoration of lasting peace in the Holy Land.
This article was originally published by Ekai and then translated by LeCatho | Original link.