“I just returned to the Parish in Gaza and the situation that I have found is even worse than I imagined”. These are the words by Father Mario da Silva, superior of the community of the Incarnate Word in Gaza, who lives in the parish of the Sacred Family together with Father Jorge Hernandez, the parish priest.
“The tanks of the Israeli army, which were lined up in the street opposite the Parish, have gone now, but they have left a completely destroyed neighbourhood. Many people have lost everything and are just wandering around from one place to another looking for any place that looks “safe”. However they are very scared and this truce looks very fragile too”.
Together with Father Mario, two nuns of the order of Mother Theresa have come back as well, so now there are six nuns who are dedicating their lives to those in need, mainly children and disabled young people. “At the nuns’ place they are all living on the ground floor, as it’s much safer. There are 29 disabled children and they are all extremely scared. There are also 9 sick elderly who live in another house, but who have come here because it’s safer. They are all sleeping on the floor, in very precarious conditions.
The assistance that has arrived this month, transferred to the Latin Parish, is allowing Father Jorge and Father Mario to buy a good amount of essential goods: drinking water, already a vital resource in the whole of the Strip, and also food (“we are trying to buy mainly food that doesn’t need to be cooked”), medicines, diapers for the small children, personal hygiene products, batteries (as in many places there hasn’t been any electricity for a few days)...
This assistance is extremely important for everyone who has lost everything. Therefore we would like to thank everyone who has offered their help to those who have lost everything under the bombs and who are having to seek refuge in shelters. Our hope is that the truce will be kept and that the sides that are fighting can start to negotiate so that this dramatic situation can come to an end.
However we are still continuing to support the poor people of Gaza, who are in need of everything, thanks to the diligent contributions of the devouts who are working on the ground. We continue to support them so that, after they have lost their loved ones, their possessions, and often their own house, don’t find themselves without hope.
