Children of Israel, Gaza are Precious in His Sight
Yesterday, my mother asked me if my 10-year-old son knows the song “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” The lyrics I happily sang as a child hit me unexpectedly hard as a mother reporting on the Israel-Hamas war.
“Jesus loves the little children — all the children of the world.”
The song reminds me the children of Israel and Gaza are precious; the reports tell me the war isn’t over.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 1,200 people in Israel (including 36 children) and 27,000 people in Gaza (including 8,000 children), according to the UN.
I’ve heard the stories from children. One of World Hope’s partners on the ground recently shared with us a video. It shows Christel, a girl about my son’s age. She had just learned that her friends and their families were killed while sheltering at an Orthodox church.
Survival gets harder every day for children like Christel who are stuck in the war zone, and so does tracking their whereabouts. Gaza went dark Oct. 11, and electricity hasn’t been restored. Phone and internet service are still down, too. Many people have moved multiple times to seek safer shelter. As a result, the number of people displaced is underreported. The UN estimates 2.5 million Palestinian and Israeli children and their families are displaced. Most affected is Gaza, where continued bombardment from air, land and sea has displaced 3 out of 4 people. The UN estimates 17,000 of the displaced people there are unaccompanied children (not with relatives) or who are separated from their parents but with other relatives.
There aren’t enough shelters, and children and families caught in the war face imminent famine and disease. They are fighting to survive. The UN estimates:
- Debris removal in Gaza will take 3 years.
- 2.2 million people are at risk of imminent famine.
- 50,000 tons of solid waste litters Gaza streets.
- Only 44% of Gaza hospitals are functional (and only partially):
- 10% to 50% of staff doctors are working.
- Intensive care unit capacity is at 250%.
- 10% of people in Gaza (223,000) have acute respiratory infections.
- 7,500 people in Gaza have acute jaundice (several with Hepatitis A).
Yet, there is hope. World Hope’s partners on the ground in Israel and Gaza reported a brief window has opened for us to get food, shelter, transportation and medical supplies to children and their families. You can show your love for these children and their families by doing two things right now: praying for their safety and well-being and helping us get them what they need to survive.
Kristen Wright
Special Guest Contributor
Kristen Wright is a journalist with more than 20 years’ experience covering global issues. She is chief strategist and editor at Kristen Wright Strategic Communications. Reach her at kristen@kwstrategic.com and wrightkristenm on LinkedIn.