“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Matthew 23:24
Last week members of the Church of England Synod debated whether they should engage with a document written by leaders of the Christian community in Palestine. A document which condemns the “…genocidal war in Gaza.”
Significant time and effort were spent agonising whether it would be more offensive to “receive” it or to “hear” it. In the end, it didn’t matter. Discussing the Palestinian Christian experience as reported by Palestinian Christians was enough to draw widespread condemnation and significant media coverage.
While they debated the semantics of offence, a 9-year-old girl named Tala Abu Matar, was killed by Israeli gunfire at a tent encampment in the Al-Bureij refugee camp. This was not discussed at Synod - nor in the British press.
Meanwhile, there is no ceasefire in Gaza and there is no shortage of evidence for people to draw their own conclusions on the question of genocide.
The following account documents the current experience of Palestinians in Gaza, but is recorded by an Argentinian, so it’s probably safe to “receive” it.
A message from Father Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Catholic Church, Gaza City - 30/6/26
“Dear brothers and sisters,
I hope you are well.
The situation in the Gaza Strip remains very, very grave. One indication of how bad it is: a situation that should be considered an emergency, that should prompt an immediate and appropriate reaction—seems to have become nothing, literally nothing.
It no longer seems to move hearts. There are people who are deeply affected and have good hearts, but those who have the power to stop all this, to help, and to resolve the situation do not want to do so.
This means that the profound injustice being experienced by the civilian population continues to grow. People keep talking about displacement and relocation. Instead, give people the opportunity to rebuild on their own land, where they belong—even in the places where they have pitched their tents after having been displaced 10, 12, or even 16 times.
The injustices witnessed throughout this time are sins that cry out to heaven.
Most homes have been destroyed, while the rest are damaged. There’s hardly any structure that remains untouched. The vast majority of children are living in tents. Tens of thousands of children living in tents...
Most have no classes because there are no schools. Most lack the basic necessities needed to live with dignity: clean water, adequate food, proper medical care, and hope for the future.
The situation therefore remains catastrophic.
We ask you to continue praying that those who have power will respond to this emergency. It is a terrible emergency. Entire neighbourhoods and cities throughout the Gaza Strip have been destroyed. We cannot close our eyes to this.
We continue trying to help as much as we can. Throughout these days we have been assisting hundreds of families living in the camps—distributing food, milk, and supplies for children.
But it is only a drop of water in the desert. Much more help is needed—help that is substantial and sustained.
Let us pray. Let us continue praying. Let us convince everyone that peace is possible, but that peace must be built upon justice.
May Almighty God bless you from Gaza: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Until tomorrow. God willing.
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