Pray for Gaza Strip and West Bank

West of Syria and Jordan lie some of the most contested lands on earth: The Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The West Bank is landlocked between Israel and Jordan and borders the Dead Sea. The Gaza Strip, located between the Mediterranean Sea and Israel, borders Egypt. The West Bank contains the city of Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world. Since the formation of the State of Israel in 1948, Palestinian life has been dominated by conflicts and war. Many have left due to dire living conditions and extreme instability. 9 million Palestinians live as exiles. The local population numbers only 2 million.

The Gaza Strip and the West Bank’s history is, at best, complicated. The mostly Muslim-Arab region, part of the Ottoman Empire became known as British Palestine in 1917. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were moving to the area around this time, and violence was breaking out between Jewish and Arab communities. In 1947, the United Nations planned to divide the region for the two communities yet Arab leaders were not pleased with this plan. In 1948, war broke out and Israeli forces won, claiming much of the territory but not claiming occupation until the Six-Day War in 1967. A Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood named Hamas, seeking the destruction of Israel, finally took power in 2006. With a contested election, Hamas solidified its grip and has not allowed an election since. Under Hamas, Palestinians have suffered tremendously. Hamas used funding to build rockets and tunnels rather than roads and infrastructure. This kept Gaza dependent on Israel for water and electricity, resources that Israel limited in supply. With power and a religious purpose, in October 2023, Hamas terrorists slaughtered over 1,400 Israelis and took over 200 hostages. This act set off a bloody conflict. Yet, because Hamas has intentionally woven itself into Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, Palestinian civilians find themselves in the crosshairs of war.  Thousands of Palestinian lives have been lost, and thousands more injured in the process of Israel defending itself. Currently, roughly 80% of the population depends on external aid and is unemployed. With few choices and little access to clean water, many are susceptible to violent Muslim extremist recruitment, especially youth.

Facing constant pressure and persecution from both radical Islamists and Israelis, Palestinian Christians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are often caught in the crossfire. Military occupation and violent Muslim persecution have practically forced out the Arab Christian minority, now down to roughly 2.5%. The one place with true unity in the Holy Land is within the Church. Jewish and Muslim background Christians, Arab and Israeli, national and expatriate, all come together in joint worship of Jesus Christ. On the day of Hamas’s attack in Israel, Arab and Jewish pastors wept together for their nations. Now, in wartime, the message of the Gospel is more urgent than ever. Lord Jesus, have mercy.  May Israelis and Palestinians know Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.