Gaza

The former apostolic vicar of Anatolia is among the more than 500 signatories of the appeal denouncing the “humanitarian tragedy” of the Palestinian civilian population. On 22 September in Rome, public prayer for an end to “genocide” and for “unarmed and disarming” peace. From the international community and the West, “no real attempt to stop Israel”; behind this war, “a formidable business. Stop sending weapons”.

Five kilometres from the border with Israel, the institute founded under the Ottoman Empire in 1881 for Christian girls is fighting for survival. Fr Youssef Nasr: Catholic schools welcome around 190,000 students, 20% of the total and 30% of private schools. Non-Christians account for 30%, although in some areas the figure exceeds 60%. The economic challenge for survival and post-war ethnic tensions.

In the Holy Year of Hope, such a deed is designed to provide relief and comfort to the many families experiencing financial hardship. This crisis has been ongoing for some time, partly due to Israeli government cuts, and exacerbated by the recent years of war. For Cardinal Pizzaballa, “This was not an easy decision” because it means loss of revenues, but it is a sign of “grace” in “a context of violence”.

After Israeli jets and drones struck Hamas officials who were in Qatar yesterday to discuss the truce and the release of hostages, the outcome of the attack, which left at least six dead, remains uncertain. For Bishop Berardi, the operation was a surprise, but Qatari leaders are sending signals that things are normal. Through letters and money, the children of the vicariate are expressing their solidarity with their peers in Gaza.

During the night, a drone attacked one of the boats off the coast of Tunisia. Suspicions point to Israel. A dozen Asian countries have joined the international initiative of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a symbol of “resilience” as its name suggests in Arabic. Filipino activist: it is important to show “our solidarity”.

At least seven people are in serious condition. Hamas and Islamic Jihad deny involvement in an attack that has not yet been claimed. The movement that controls Gaza commends the attackers, while the Palestinian Authority condemns them. Ben Gvir calls for the death penalty “for terrorists”. Speaking to AsiaNews, Rabbi Milgrom lamented this “terrible attack,” saying that “ we must remain united” with the aim of "achieving peace”.

In a reflection for AsiaNews, Archbishop Mathieu criticises the ‘colonial hegemony’ that distorts the reality of an ‘intrinsically multipolar’ region. ‘Peace cannot be built on the ideology of a so-called free interventionist world that dehumanises parts of populations that are not aligned with them.’ Tension rises over nuclear issue: “E3” countries want to reactivate snapback mechanism, Tehran threatens to withdraw from Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Cardinal Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Theophilus III reject the prospect of "evacuation" in the face of the Israeli military operation already underway. “There can be no future based on imprisonment, the displacement of Palestinians, or revenge,” they say. The Sisters of Mother Teresa, who arrived in 1973 after the killing of the local parish priest, serve a community devastated by hunger and war. In Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum is marking a “National Day of Struggle”.

The photojournalist killed today in Gaza along with four other colleagues in a double Israeli raid on al-Nasser Hospital wrote about this in her accounts. Her photos and reels captured the everyday faces of suffering in Khan Yunis. Reporters Without Borders expressed their outrage over the 200 journalists killed in Gaza, asking how long the slaughter will continue? Caritas Internationalis slams “empty platitudes”, calls for an immediate ceasefire.

Fr Romanelli says that "the entire Gaza Strip is dangerous," but Gaza City is "even more so." There are “constant bombardments”, but the parish has not yet received an "evacuation order." The Custody of the Holy Land and the Latin Patriarchate are with Pope Leo fasting and praying for peace. According to Israeli military sources, 83 percent of the deaths in the Palestinian enclave are civilians.

Eighty representatives of the Modern Orthodox movement, led by Rabbi Yosef Blau, have launched an appeal calling for "moral clarity" and "responsibility" based on the values of Jewish tradition. While condemning Hamas, they call for a "response" to the tragedy in Gaza and criticise the "disturbing proposals" of Smotrich and Ben Gvir. For the rabbis, they must “speak out when our government’s actions contradict the Torah’s moral imperatives”. The Latin Patriarchate warns of evacuation orders in neighbourhoods near Gaza Catholic parish.

According to the Jordanian scholar, the Netanyahu government's ultimate goal ‘goes beyond’ defeating Hamas and redrawing borders. The West Bank becomes an ‘opportunity to be exploited’ with a view to annexation. The weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the international community, the new paradigm of the Abraham Accords. Among the nations of the region, ‘more tactics than alliances’.