(Photo: Aid to the Church in Need)
In Jerusalem, a leading bishop has highlighted that the deep-seated issues fueling the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict remain unresolved, even as a ceasefire has come into effect. The plea for a lasting peace solution echoes through the region as tensions simmer beneath the surface.
William Shomali, the Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem, conveyed his concerns to Aid to the Church in Need, stating, “The war between Hamas and Israel has ended but the conflict with its underlying causes didn’t end.” This sentiment aligns with warnings from humanitarian groups who stress the need for a durable peace deal to prevent future hostilities.
Christian Aid’s Head of Middle East Policy & Advocacy, William Bell, cautioned, “Returning to the old status quo will doom Palestinians and Israelis to more tragedy.”
The region has witnessed four significant military engagements in Gaza since 2008, with the latest being particularly devastating. Despite the grim history, Bishop Shomali remains hopeful, urging Christians to pray as he believes “nothing is impossible to God.”
He emphasized that finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be pursued “according to the international resolutions,” acknowledging the challenges yet holding onto hope.
Gaza’s Holy Family Church, the sole Catholic church in the area, marked its first Sunday without violence. The conflict took the lives of several parishioners, and its priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, sustained injuries from an Israeli shell.
The conflict resulted in the deaths of at least 57 Christians, predominantly from Catholic and Orthodox backgrounds.
In his Sunday message, Father Romanelli advocated for reconciliation and forgiveness towards those who have erred. He expressed hope that, “This ceasefire, God willing, will become the end of this atrocious war.”
He further envisioned a future where “the long-awaited day has come to begin the implementation of the peace process or peace agreement … May God, in his goodness, grant the Holy Land – and particularly this part of the Holy Land, which is Palestine, Israel – that we may begin to live in peace, in justice, in reconciliation.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
