Catholic Nun in Gaza Renews Cry to Leaders and the World for Help and Peace saying " it will soon be impossible to survive" in Vatican Interview
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Sr. Nabila's appeal from Gaza: ‘We want peace, respect for human rights’
According to the UN since the start of the war, about 100,000 people in Gaza have been killed, injured or are missing. At least 27,019 people have been killed, including over 11,000 children, and 66,139 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. Hundreds of Christians are sheltered in the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, Sr. Nabila Saleh renews her appeal for world leaders to listen to the cries of civilians suffering in the Palestinian territory.
It is extremely difficult, nearly impossible, to connect with people in Gaza.
Telephone lines are weak and the internet works intermittently, and the lights are on for just a few hours each day.
Sister Nabila Saleh sent her appeal to Vatican News, which she addressed to the whole world.
"I ask the world for peace, for respect for human rights. I ask everyone to help Gaza because the population is suffering," says the religious sister.
She explains that there is no more time to waste, relating that "houses no longer exist, food is almost finished, and what little is found costs five times more than normal."
Sr. Nabila says it will soon be impossible to survive if something does not change.
The sister who belongs to the Congregation of the Rosary of Jerusalem is holed up in the Latin-rite Catholic parish of the Holy Family, while hundreds more are at the Orthodox compound.
They have sought refuge there since the war began on October 7th.
She related that among them seven people are wounded from a shooting last December that killed an elderly Catholic mother and her daughter, who were also staying in the church compound.
They are unable to transport the wounded to a hospital that could help them.
"We have only been able to give them primary care,” says Sr. Nabila. “Two of them would need to be operated on urgently, while the others still have many shrapnel pieces in their bodies."
They do not have enough medicines in the Catholic parish, as in most of Gaza.
However, notes the sister, "the King of Jordan has had food and medicine dropped by planes for us. Twice."
Telephone lines are weak and the internet works intermittently, and the lights are on for just a few hours each day.
Sister Nabila Saleh sent her appeal to Vatican News, which she addressed to the whole world.
"I ask the world for peace, for respect for human rights. I ask everyone to help Gaza because the population is suffering," says the religious sister.
She explains that there is no more time to waste, relating that "houses no longer exist, food is almost finished, and what little is found costs five times more than normal."
Sr. Nabila says it will soon be impossible to survive if something does not change.
The sister who belongs to the Congregation of the Rosary of Jerusalem is holed up in the Latin-rite Catholic parish of the Holy Family, while hundreds more are at the Orthodox compound.
They have sought refuge there since the war began on October 7th.
She related that among them seven people are wounded from a shooting last December that killed an elderly Catholic mother and her daughter, who were also staying in the church compound.
They are unable to transport the wounded to a hospital that could help them.
"We have only been able to give them primary care,” says Sr. Nabila. “Two of them would need to be operated on urgently, while the others still have many shrapnel pieces in their bodies."
They do not have enough medicines in the Catholic parish, as in most of Gaza.
However, notes the sister, "the King of Jordan has had food and medicine dropped by planes for us. Twice."
"After three or four days of calm,” says Sr. Nabila, “the war has returned as violent as before. Tanks are in the neighborhood, they are also close to our school. We hear shooting but thank God nothing has happened in our parish.""After three or four days of calm,” says Sr. Nabila, “the war has returned as violent as before. Tanks are in the neighborhood, they are also close to our school. We hear shooting but thank God nothing has happened in our parish."
A member of the community died recently from lack of dialysis (Asia News) Hani Abu Daoud who died because no hospital could treat his condition. On Feb. 3, “Hani passed away yesterday,” writes Sami El-Yousef, chief executive officer at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, on his Facebook page.
At the same time, Israeli tanks have returned to the streets of Gaza City. He died “alone away from his wife and young children” from the “complications of his medical problem and lack of proper treatment and was buried in the south where there are no Christian cemeteries or clergy.
Nevertheless, Sr. Nabila says that people in the parish have not given up hope.
“We hope in the Lord,” she says. “If we did not have faith here, we would all be dead already."
A member of the community died recently from lack of dialysis (Asia News) Hani Abu Daoud who died because no hospital could treat his condition. On Feb. 3, “Hani passed away yesterday,” writes Sami El-Yousef, chief executive officer at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, on his Facebook page.
At the same time, Israeli tanks have returned to the streets of Gaza City. He died “alone away from his wife and young children” from the “complications of his medical problem and lack of proper treatment and was buried in the south where there are no Christian cemeteries or clergy.
Nevertheless, Sr. Nabila says that people in the parish have not given up hope.
“We hope in the Lord,” she says. “If we did not have faith here, we would all be dead already."
Source: Vatican News - https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2024-02/sister-nabila-gaza-holy-family-parish-appeal-peace.html with Excerpt from Asia News IT - https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Dying-alone-in-Gaza-in-need-of-dialysis-60076.html with Statistics from the UN - See https://palestine.un.org/en/259667-rafah-%E2%80%98pressure-cooker-despair%E2%80%99-gaza-us-ambassador-un-stresses-vital-role-unrwa
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