VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) – Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip continue to weigh on a civilian population going hungry and thirsty, according to a Catholic relief aid organization working there.
In an Aug. 4 statement, Caritas Internationalis said that the Israeli incursions, though overshadowed in the media by attacks on Lebanon, threaten to unleash age-old hatreds and derail the peace and reconciliation work to which its member, Caritas Jerusalem, and others have been tirelessly dedicated.
“These attacks are not a punishment for a certain party, or branch, or person or sect. It is punishment for an entire nation, and this is a war crime,” said Father Manuel Musallam, parish priest of the Latin Convent, Gaza’s only Catholic Church. “This destruction, without cause, is a crime.”
Omar Shaban, director of Caritas member Catholic Relief Service’s office in Gaza, said the constant attacks by the Israeli military into Gaza have led to an ever-worsening situation for people living in the Gaza Strip.
“Even if we get 200 food packets for families whose homes have been destroyed, the next day we need 200 more, because every day more people’s homes are destroyed,” Shaban said. “Every day it gets worse.”
Father Musallam said that the constant flouting of international laws, and the lack of respect for Palestinian people, has made it difficult for him to champion his message of peace and reconciliation.
Caritas Jerusalem has appealed to the Caritas Internationalis confederation for $1.5 million (USD) to help alleviate the suffering of the 1.4 million Palestinians, half of them children, who have been made more vulnerable by the conflict.
Caritas Jerusalem reports that shortages of electricity, fuel, food, water, medicine and medical equipment have reached critical levels, and that the infrastructure is tattered, with poorly functioning wastewater treatment plants leading to major public health concerns.
Through its programs, Caritas Jerusalem is reaching out to impoverished Palestinian families, helping to cover basic needs, including food, clothing, education fees, and urgent medical treatment. Their job creation program aims to provide opportunities to individuals with limited financial means who have been unemployed for more than six months.
Caritas Jerusalem is also responding to patients with urgent health care needs and those with chronic illnesses who have little or no income. The Caritas Jerusalem Gaza Medical Center team, in coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, is treating the injured and sick in 23 different areas, including the Al Maghazi Refugee Camp, providing medical care and follow-up and distributing much-needed medicines and vitamins.
Caritas Jerusalem and the U.S.-based Catholic Relief Services are members of the Caritas Internationalis confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social-service organizations throughout the world.
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