In a letter reprinted in the May 13 edition of the Vatican newspaper, a Gaza Catholic wrote that “the war destroyed everything, our homes, our loved ones and our belongings.”
“Just a few days ago my grandparents’ house was destroyed and devastated by a single rocket,” said Suhail Abo Dawood, who was 18 last October. “We have nothing left except the church and, due to the poor wartime conditions, a number of Christians from our parish have left Gaza.”
He added, “Are the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church [in Gaza] becoming empty? I hope not. I don’t want Gaza to be left without Christians. We are the true witnesses of the love and mercy of Jesus in all parts of Gaza, the city through which the Holy Family fled to Egypt to protect the little Baby Jesus, the eternal king.”