Local sources based in the holy sites of Galilee, including Capernaum, Tabgha, Magdala, the Beatitudes and Tiberias, reported to SIR about the military escalation between the Israeli army (IDF) and Hezbollah: “We are faced with a dangerous situation, but for now we are coping well. During the last few days we could hear the sound of aircraft and rockets, but we are all fine.” More than 80 Israeli air strikes hit southern and eastern Lebanon early on Monday. The Israeli army reportedly called on the Lebanese people to evacuate their homes near Hezbollah strongholds. On Sunday, Hezbollah fired about 100 rockets into northern Israel in response to the dozens of deaths and injuries caused earlier by pager and walkie-talkie explosions and by IDF raids in Beirut.
Approximately two million Israelis reside in the Hezbollah-targeted areas of Haifa and the Jezreel Valley (the Plain of Esdraelon, also known as the ‘Meghiddo Valley’). In a statement, Hezbollah – the “Party of God” – announced that “the Islamic Resistance targeted the Ramat David base and airport in Haifa with dozens of Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles, as well as Katyusha rockets. They reached their targets with precision.” As a result, “hundreds of thousands of people had to seek refuge in bomb shelters” across northern Israel, Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in a statement. Furthermore, educational facilities in northern Israel, which are at risk of attacks due to their proximity to the Lebanese border, will remain closed until 6 p.m. today, 23 September. According to reports from Israeli media outlets, hospitals in the area “have cancelled non-urgent surgeries and are relocating patients to underground care facilities for safety reasons.”
No expectation of an agreement. “Our Christian communities in the targeted areas are all safe and sound,” Monsignor Rafiq Nahra, Patriarchal Vicar for Israel, confirmed to SIR. However, the situation remains unstable and it is currently impossible to predict the course of the ongoing hostilities.
“For almost a year – he said – our local Church has been reiterating its calls for an end to the war in Gaza. The people of Gaza need everything except weapons and violence.” Msgr. Nahra made an impassioned plea for the release of the Israeli hostages. “This is a war that serves no purpose,” he reiterated with conviction.
“If the war in Gaza ends, so will the hostilities on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case, at least for the time being. Moreover, no one here has any faith in the possibility of an agreement, because the demands of Hamas and Israel are diametrically opposed. As for us, we continue to call for a ceasefire and the start of peace talks, encouraged by Pope Francis’ tireless appeals and the efforts of our Patriarch, Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa. At the same time, we offer support to our communities in need of peace”.
What happened on 7 October 2023 was unthinkable. No one could have imagined it. Investigations are underway into the failures that led up to October 7,” he concluded: “We await the truth.”
Daily challenges. Reassurances about the situation of the Christian communities in Galilee also come from Nazareth, where there are several religious institutions, notably in the educational sector. Everyone here is fine”, local sources confirmed to SIR, “the families are worried about the situation and are concerned for their children. Air raid sirens sound frequently, warning us to go to the shelters. But until now there has been only a great amount of fear”. As for school activities, they explain, “it depends on the safety conditions at that particular moment. We usually prepare two programmes: for in-person teaching and for online learning. These are daily challenges, but we will manage to face them with God’s help.”
