[Today's Prayer] "Hundreds of Gaza Residents Have Already Died While Receiving Food" ... A Tragedy Caused by Israel's Stubbornness

While the international community is focused on the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, the humanitarian crisis of Palestinian residents in the Gaza Strip is worsening.

As ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas show no progress, extreme chaos continues in the Israeli-controlled aid distribution system during the ongoing blockade of Gaza. Tragically, residents are dying from Israeli military gunfire and other violence in the process of trying to receive aid.

On the 25th (local time), Gaza’s Ministry of Health announced that hundreds of people have died near aid distribution points in the past month since Israel implemented its own aid system.

(Omitted)

The Israeli military denies some of the shooting incidents, and claims that some of them were provocations by armed forces or threatening actions by residents.

In the report that day, the UN said, "Gaza residents are risking their lives just to obtain food. Almost every day, there are mass casualties at the aid distribution points. Most households survive on just one low-nutrition meal per day, and adults are skipping meals so that children and the elderly can eat."

(omitted)

The UN and international aid organizations have criticized the GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) system, saying it fails to meet actual food demand and forces residents to walk several kilometers under life-threatening conditions just to obtain food.

(omitted)

The GHF stated that "the ultimate solution is to provide more relief supplies, and if relief is expanded, uncertainty will decrease and desperation will be alleviated." It continued, "Currently, there is not enough food and infrastructure to meet the needs of all of Gaza," and requested cooperation from the UN and international organizations.

Other relief operations being conducted in northern Gaza by the UN and other international organizations are also in disarray. According to witnesses, food trucks are frequently looted by crowds as soon as they enter.

UN spokesperson Larke said, “Gaza is currently the hungriest place on earth,” and “No matter what kind of supplies enter, the desperation is so severe that residents loot them immediately.”

Ahmad Samir Kafina, a resident of Nuseirat in central Gaza, told The New York Times, “I went to the aid distribution point three times but only received food once. I witnessed gunfire, violence, and people fighting with knives over food. But since there’s no other way, I must risk it to survive.”

Source: News1

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples, but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.”(Isaiah 60:1-2)

As the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas stall and the blockade on Gaza continues, we hear the heartbreaking news that there is not enough food or infrastructure to meet the needs across Gaza. Even the limited aid is being looted, leaving residents with nothing to receive.

God, we see the people of Gaza suffer as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. We pray that you would come as light upon the Palestinians, who face hunger and death as they try to lay their hands on the limited supplies.

They face shootings and attacks from armed forces as they wait for aid distribution. With only few aid distribution locations, they have to walk many miles to receive food. God, you who fed the Israelites with manna and quail, may you feed and save Gaza!

May you not only provide them with food, but raise up the church of Palestine to share the gospel with them. As the church in Israel and churches around the world pray, may the power of Hamas be broken and may Gaza residents return to their normal lives.