From the Latin parish of the Holy Family in Gaza, Father Gabriel Romanelli delivered a message on this October 6th in which he recalled that tomorrow marks two years since the escalation of the war in the Strip.
“Unfortunately, two years are being completed of this new phase of the conflict that took so many lives and that no one yet knows how it will end”, lamented the parish priest. He pointed out that, although there are negotiations in Egypt for the release of hostages and a possible ceasefire, the situation on the ground remains dramatic: “There are still bombings, there are still deaths, destructions”.
In recent days, he warned, more than 120 deaths have been recorded, in addition to the wounded and missing under the rubble. The population, he said, is exhausted, but at the same time holds onto the hope that the “beginning of the end of all this” may be glimpsed.
Day of Prayer in the Parish
The priest recalled that on October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Catholic community of Gaza will dedicate an entire day to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, asking for the gift of peace. “We are going to do, starting at 7 in the morning, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, in turns, asking Jesus and the Virgin for the miracle of peace”, he explained.
He also mentioned the nuns who accompany the mission: the Sisters of the Rosary of Jerusalem, whose school was bombed, and the Missionaries of Charity, who are celebrating an anniversary of their foundation.
Looking Towards the Post-War Period
Romanelli shared the recent declaration of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, which invites reflection on justice, reconciliation, and Christian witness in the Holy Land. “The post-war period will be very hard”, said the priest, “but just as God protects in times of war, He will also do so in the times of the post-war period”.
The parish priest closed his message by asking for prayers and thanking those who accompany him spiritually, despite the communication difficulties: “Let us continue praying for peace, so that the Lord may grant us in His goodness what we need so much”.