RCA Responds to Crisis in Gaza
After ten days of rocket fire and bombing between Israel and Hamas and
three days of ground combat inside Gaza, over 530 Palestinians have
been killed, at least a quarter of them civilians, according to the
United Nations. Four Israelis have been killed by rockets
and mortar shells fired into Israel and one Israeli soldier has been
killed since the Israeli ground invasion began. Forty-eight  Israeli
soldiers have been wounded.
As the number of casualties has grown, so have calls for a cease fire,
both by governments around the world and by church leaders. In a letter
to President Bush and key congressional leaders, RCA general secretary
Wesley Granberg-Michaelson urged our national leadership to press for
an immediate cease fire, calling for Hamas to end rocket and mortar
fire on southern Israel and for Israel to halt the attacks on Gaza.
"There can be no military solution to this conflict," said
Granberg-Michaelson. "Only a political solution will bring a durable
peace to both Palestinians and Israelis."
Meanwhile, 1.5 million Palestinians have been living under a blockade
of essential resources and services for 18 months, and have in recent
days seen even their very fragile infrastructure decimated. Lack of
food and especially essential medicines is significantly increasing the
loss of Palestinian lives. Reformed Church World Service is working
with partners in the Middle East, as well as with Church World Service
and ACT International, to respond to the needs of those who are
suffering as a result of this conflict.
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