While sitting in front of a television viewing a distant war, one can get caught up in cheering for a favored side like it’s a sporting event. It’s far too easy to forget the human realities of thousands of innocent civilians being killed and millions displaced from their homes. That’s why I’m sharing the article below, to put a human face on the inhuman reality in Gaza.

While governments and political factions initiate hostilities, those who suffer most are usually ordinary people who just want to be left alone to live their lives. People don’t generally kill other people once we see another human face like our own. It usually takes propaganda to convince us that the other religious, political, or ethnic group are subhuman animals who want to kill us, then we’re good with dropping bombs on them. 

Whatever our feelings might be toward the factions that are fighting, it’s worth remembering that in Gaza, and Ukraine as well, tens of thousands of ordinary people like ourselves are being killed by munitions that say “Made in the USA.” Yes, via our tax dollars, you and I are participating in killing people, destroying cities, and sending hundreds of thousands of families fleeing from their homes, and unlike watching a sporting event, I’m not cheering.

‘Israel is killing us without mercy’: As the fighting in Gaza continues, civilians are starting to lose hope
Amid a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Palestine that no international organization can cope with, locals tell their stories of survival
(Read the article at: https://www.rt.com/news/590125-israel-kills-us-without-mercy/)

I also found this article to be of considerable interest. It discusses the history of Christianity in Gaza and Christian/Muslim relations there.

Under Israeli attack: Who are the Christians of Gaza?
They’re small in number, but with deep roots that they are unwilling to leave behind.
(Read the article at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/1/under-israeli-attack-who-are-the-christians-of-gaza)