Middle East Christians are expressing a mix of fear, confidence in the gospel and calls for prayer as the region approaches the anniversary of Hamas’ deadly terrorist attacks on Israel – and reels from events in Lebanon.
At Christian TV station SAT-7, audience relations manager Marianne Awaraji said: ‘Perhaps God has placed all of us at SAT-7 for such a time as this, to be a voice for those who cannot speak, to bring the hope of Christ to a region that has lost hope for a better future.’
The Lebanese Al Kafaat Foundation, which supports people with special needs, said after the detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies in the country: ‘The last 48 hours have been tremendously challenging on all fronts, and we thank the Lord that all our children and staff are safe… We thank the Lord that we are all safe today. But now, we fear what next?’
Lebanese organisation Thima, which seeks to strengthen the witness of the church in the region, said: ‘As we near the sombre one-year anniversary of 7 October, we stand ever more convinced that the only lasting hope for this situation is found in the life-transforming message of the gospel – a message that we remain committed to sharing and demonstrating through our support for local churches in Lebanon and across the Arab world.’
Meanwhile, an editorial in All Israel News, which aims to cover Middle Eastern events for the evangelical world, said: ‘We call on believers around the world to pray for healing and unity in Israeli society, for world leaders to use their influence to increase pressure on Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal and, most importantly, for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages.’
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