Middle East

• 

  When Jesus himself was a refugee from the holy land

  By Christian Today Middle East 10 months ago

  As we have watched the news over the last few years, we have seen many stories of refugees fleeing strife or persecution in the Middle East, from Iraq, from Syria, and now Gaza. Some are displaced and seek sanctuary in safer parts of their own countries, and others flee their own country for other lands. At Christmas time, we also remember that after the birth of Jesus, he too was a refugee from Bethlehem to another land. The story is recorded in Matthew 2:13-23.

• 

  A 'sombre' Christmas in the Holy Land

  By Christian Today Middle East

  10 months ago

  "A ceasefire and peace - these are the two things I want for Christmas," says Brendan Metcalfe, chief executive of Friends of the Holy Land. Months of war between Israel and Gaza are taking a "terrible" toll on the entire region, with devastating consequences for people in the West Bank and Bethlehem who rely on tourism.

• 

  Jerusalem church leaders appeal for ceasefire in meeting with Israeli president

  By Christian Today Middle East

  10 months ago

  Jerusalem church leaders have met Israeli President Isaac Herzog to appeal for "an immediate and permanent humanitarian ceasefire". They said that their meeting with Herzog was "not a mere exchange of Holiday Season pleasantries" but was held with the purpose of "conveying the global ecclesiastical stance, demanding, on behalf of Christians worldwide, an immediate cessation of the bloodshed in Gaza".

• 

  Church in Gaza remains under threat after shooting deaths, sources say

  By Edward Ross Middle East

  10 months ago

  The killing of an elderly woman and her daughter in Gaza City’s Holy Family Church on Saturday (Dec. 16) was the sixth attack by Israeli Defense Forces on the compound since war in Gaza broke out, a relative told The Washington Post.