7 October: One year of pleas and prayers for peace in the Middle East

By Francesca Merlo

On the 7th of October, 2023, Hamas militants fired rockets into Israel and stormed Kibbutz border towns, in a violent attack that ignited what has been a ferocious, deadly year.

The aftermath

On the 7th of October, more than 1,200 people were killed, the majority of them civilians. On that same day, 250 individuals were abducted by Hamas; by November, half were released during a brief ceasefire, while many of the remaining captives are believed to have died. In Gaza, over 41,000 people, primarily civilians, have been killed. Meanwhile, more than 700 people have died in Lebanon during the recent Israeli airstrikes, as the war, as everyone had feared, spreads across borders.

Christian communities in Gaza

But the people of Gaza knew war long before the Israeli launched its offensive in response to the attacks. Christians in Gaza have long seeked refuge in their local parishes, and the 7th of October, Fr Gabriel Romanelli recounts, was no different. Speaking to Vatican News’ Federico Piana, the Gaza parish priest recounts his day, exactly one year ago. “On October 7th, I was outside the Strip, I was in Bethlehem, returning from Rome. I was waiting to pick up some medicine for a sister in Gaza.” He explains that even before the 7th of October medicine was not always available in the Gaza strip. “Early that morning we started hearing news that missiles were being fired from Gaza, but nothing was clear”, says Fr Gabriel. He recalls calling his parish, and hearing that Christians, as they usually do when they fear the entrance of the IDF, or hear the sound of bombs, were seeking refuge in his church. “But when we finally saw the news, we knew that this was going to be something of a much larger scale”. Then, on the 8th of October, the war began.

The first of many appeals

Exactly one week later, on the 15th of October, Pope Francis made his first appeal for peace. During his Angelus address, he called for an end to "the diabolical hate, terrorism, and war" in the Holy Land. Two days later, on the 17th of October, churches worldwide united for a global day of prayer for peace in the Holy Land. Just two days after that, following a deadly blast at a Greek Orthodox building, Christian churches once again condemned the ongoing violence.

Unity that stems from destruction

This sense of ecumenism is still alive today, one year later. According to Fr. Gabriel, there were 1,017 Christians in Gaza before the 7th of October. Since then, 43 have died, 23 due to lack of medical care, and 20 from bombings. "Around 440 people are taking refuge in my parish, many of whom are Greek Orthodox," he said. Nearby, a Greek Orthodox church is sheltering more Christians of various denominations. "Each person feels protected."

A diplomatic appeal

On the 24th of October, two weeks after the war broke out, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, issued a pastoral letter condemning the violence and calling for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land.

Then, the first appeal to the United Nations. On the 26th of October, represented at the UN Security Council in New York, the Holy See urged Israeli and Palestinian authorities to show courage for peace and work towards a two-state solution.

Escalating death toll

As the end of the month approached, the death toll in Gaza was nearing 10,000. On the 29th of October, as he spoke from the window of the Apostolic Palace during his Sunday Angelus, the Pope issued a plea for a ceasefire: "In God's name, I beg you to stop: cease fire!" he stressed. "I hope that every possible avenue will be pursued to avoid further escalation."

A month later, Fr Romanelli told Vatican News what he would repeat a year later: Gaza has never truly known peace. "They say the war started on October 7th but we've always lived in a climate of conflict. Of course, nothing as tragic as what we are suffering now, but sirens and explosions have always been part of life in Gaza."

Christmas prayers

As the months passed and Christmas approached, the Pope continued his prayers, and his request for them: "At Christmas, let us think of the Holy Land." He expressed hope that the Nativity scene would remind everyone of "the suffering of Bethlehem, an open wound for the Middle East and the world." The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem echoed his message in their annual Christmas address, urging Christians and all people of goodwill to work tirelessly toward peace.

Christmas came and went, and Easter approached. Despite the pleas, the bombs kept falling on Gaza, with no ceasefire in sight. The Pope and other Christian leaders repeated their callsfor peace.

200 days on, hope begins to fade

On the 24th of April, marking 200 days since the conflict began, Cardinal Pizzaballa reflected, in an interview with Vatican News’s Roberto Cetera, to whom he had spoken shortly after the outbreak of the war: "When we met in Gaza in November, 30 days after the war started, we could never have imagined we’d be here again after 200 days, with no solution in sight."

Hope for a better year

That was after one month. Now, one year on, the situation has only worsened. Hopes for peace are fading as people of goodwill, of different faiths, nationalities, and creeds, gather to fast and pray on the anniversary of the horrific attacks that sparked a bloody, unpredictable and ferocious war. The only hope is that this next year will be different.