“We urgently need to find our way back to peace in line with the UN Charter [of Human Rights] and international law.” This was the impassioned message that Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, sent to the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council last month. Prominent among the examples he gave were Gaza, Sudan, Syria and the risk of war between Israel and Lebanon.
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Tragically, war continues to dominate events in the Middle East and North Africa. At the time of writing, there is renewed momentum behind talks to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and we can only pray that this will become a reality.
For the moment, the fighting and massive loss of life continues. Israeli forces returned to many areas where Hamas cells resurfaced and already displaced people have been forced to move again. Last week some of the most intense shelling and destruction returned to Gaza City. To date, 116 hostages are still missing after being kidnapped by Hamas.
Church amid the violence
Among Gaza’s tiny Christian community of around 1,000 people, it is estimated that a third have either left the enclave or been killed. Around 600 were sheltering in the Holy Family Church and its compound when an Israeli air strike last week hit two classrooms. Four people including a Hamas labour minister were killed.
Faeqa Ayyad, a 12-year-old girl who was among those sheltering in the Holy Family Church, appeared on SAT-7 current affairs programme You Are Not Alone with a plea for peace. “I ask the Lord to stop the war and bring peace and to return to play and live our childhood,” she told presenter Sirene Semerdjian live on air. “My siblings need to live their childhood. When my sister is asleep and she hears strikes, she puts her hands over her ears because she is afraid. I comfort her and hug her. Of course, I am afraid too.”
The Latin (Roman Catholic) Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the attack “in the strongest terms” and denounced any “belligerent actions” that fail to ensure the safety of civilians. Less than two months before, the Patriarchate’s cardinal had made an unannounced visit to the community and to the nearby Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church. Two other priests arrived with him and have stayed on to support the community.
The attack on the Holy Family compound came amid a major Israeli offensive in Gaza City which also forced the closure of the church-run Al Ahli hospital. As the army declared the area a Red Zone and a drone bombardment struck targets in the immediate vicinity, the hospital evacuated patients to the already overwhelmed Indonesia Hospital. Jerusalem Archbishop Hosam Naoum and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, both protested the closure. Thankfully, the army contacted church authorities a day later to give reassurances that the hospital could reopen.
Anxiety in Lebanon
Meanwhile, fears grow that the Israel-Gaza war could spill over into Lebanon. Ever since October Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that operates independently of the Lebanese government, has exchanged fire with Israel to support Hamas. Tens of thousands on both sides of the border have evacuated.
Another war is the last thing that Lebanon’s political leaders want on top of an economic collapse and the 2020 Beirut port explosion that have dramatically weakened the country. Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said a war “is in no-one’s interest”. Around half a million Lebanese have left the country over the last five years and the threat of war is only increasing emigration. The country’s Christian community especially opposes Hezbollah’s activities. In a notable incident in March, residents of Rmeich, a strongly Christian border town, forced Hezbollah operatives who set up a rocket launcher near homes to leave. Residents rang church bells to summon crowds to gather in protest.
Sudan famine warning
Three quarters of a million people in Sudan are on the verge of famine according to outgoing UN aid chief Martin Griffiths. He said this vast number face “catastrophic” conditions while 8.5 million are experiencing acute malnutrition. Some 9 million Sudanese have been displaced by the war between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces militias. Thousands more continue to flee as fighting reaches new areas. Last week representatives of the army-aligned government refused to attend peace talks with civilian leaders including Sudan’s former prime minister in Cairo. New efforts to achieve a ceasefire by a committee of African heads of state on behalf of the Africa Union are due to start this month. Listen to our recent Sudan Briefing here, which highlights the situation for Christians in the country.
A new president of Iran
Iran this month elected a new and relatively moderate president, following the death in a helicopter crash of hardline President Raisi in May. Masoud Pezeshkian was the one candidate in a list of six approved by Iran’s Guardian Council who is viewed as a reformer. His selection and an increased turnout of 50 per cent at the run-off after a record low in the first were seen as sending a message of discontent with Iran’s status quo.
Mansour Borji, director of Iranian religious freedom advocacy organisation Article18, chose to boycott the diaspora ballot stations in the UK. “I participated in the election by not voting, joining the majority who said no to the Islamic Republic,” Borji told Christianity Today.
During the aftermath of the elections, SAT-7’s Persian programmes continue to give comfort and hope to those struggling to find a platform for their voice. While dramatic change is unlikely, pray that the new presidency will see progress in human rights, including those of Iran’s Christians, and greater cooperation with the international .
Films of hope
In Egypt, the cost of living continues to worsen. The largest share of Egyptians under the poverty line live in Upper (southern) Egypt. From there a film following a remarkable group of women recently won the Golden Eye documentary award at the Cannes Film Festival. The Brink of Dreams was shot over a period of four years in the village of Deir al-Barsha in Minya. It focuses on the young members of an all-female theatre troupe, who challenge narrow views of female roles and share their dreams of becoming actresses, dancers and singers. The documentary highlights important issues such as early marriage, education and domestic violence. Yostina Samour, who founded the theatre group, is already well-known to SAT-7 viewers as one of the presenters of Today Not Tomorrow, a SAT-7 programme devoted to addressing the challenges faced by young women in the Arab world.
SAT-7 is also thrilled to announce that Toxic, our first feature-length film, is now available for travellers flying with Emirates, Qatar Airways, Saudia, and Kuwait Airways. Toxic, a thrilling Arabic drama about relationships, trauma, and forgiveness, was shot primarily in SAT-7’s studio in Cairo. Maged Mounir, Executive Director of SAT-7’s Egypt office, said: “We are delighted that Toxic is now available to millions of travellers on these busy airlines, meaning that many more people will be introduced to the film’s message about the power of forgiveness. It also potentially acts as an introduction to the wider ministry of SAT-7, opening up the opportunity for people to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ through our other programmes.” Read more about Toxic here.
Meanwhile, the first feature-length film produced by SAT-7 TÜRK has had a cinema release across Türkiye. Yakamoz follows the lives of two families, one Turkish and one Greek, as they were involved in a mass population exchange under a peace treaty between Greece and Türkiye in August 1924. The film’s two families are unwillingly brought together in the course of these events, but soon discover points of connection and friendship. Pray that, 100 years after the original events, audiences will be touched by its message of respect for racial and religious differences.
