Gaza Baptist Church Under Armed Protection

Public Christian Library run by the Gaza Baptist Church
Recent developments in Gaza have resulted in Christians facing uncertainties and potential danger from Muslim militants.  Brother Andrew from Open Doors returned from Gaza on August 17 and he is asking for prayer for the Gaza Baptist Church, the only evangelical church in the city.  Because of threats from militants, the church, located across the street from the Palestinian Parliament, is currently under armed guard.

Pray for the protection of Pastor Hanna Massad and his family, as well as members of the church.  Pray that there will be peace in this very troubled area of the world.

For more information on the difficulties facing Christians in Palestine, click here.  In the land where the Prince of Peace was born and where hope came to the world, peace is seldom found today.  For Muslim converts in Palestinian areas, suffering for the Name of Christ is common.  Meet some of these Palestinian Christians and hear their stories of faith. Go to the Video section of www.vomcanada.com/ to find a 6:49 minute video recorded by VOMC in Palestine.

  • Palestine Information

    Population
    Gaza - 2,098,389 (2023 est.)
    West Bank - 3,176,549 (2023 est.)

    Religion (%)
    Gaza - Muslim (98-99), Christian and other (1-2),
    West Bank - Muslim (80-85), Jewish (12-14), Christian (1-2.5), other (<1)

    Leadership
    President Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank
    Hamas in the Gaza Strip

    Statistics: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Palestine

    Pray not only for the peace of the land, but also for both Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Arabs to meet the Prince of Peace, as it is through Him alone that any meaningful reconciliation will come.

    Pray Palestinian Christians who remain will stay strong in both their Christian faith and in their commitment to live out the gospel in very difficult conditions.

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Palestine News

  • Christian Doctor Brutally Attacked
    Dr. Salamah Qumsieh. - Photo: YouTube / Samir A. Zedan
    Click to watch an interview with Dr. Salamah Qumsieh.
    Photo: YouTube / Samir A. Zedan (screenshot)

    Dr. Salamah Qumsieh is an obstetric surgeon and head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at Bethlehem's Holy Family Hospital. On February 12th, he was attacked in broad daylight by Khader Odeh, a well-known Islamic militant. Khader attempted to sever the doctor's hands and violently crush his head. Following the assault, surgeons spent ten hours reconnecting his veins and tendons. While his hands were saved, Dr. Salamah is not expected to be able to practice medicine again due to the severity of his injuries.

    Read more...

  • Gunmen's Attempts to Intimidate
    Jifna, Palestine - Photo: Wikipedia / Jacob www.wikipedia.org
    Jifna, Palestine
    Photo: Wikipedia / Jacob

    Christians in Palestine request prayer following the attempts of armed militia in Jifna, near Ramallah, to intimidate them through acts of violence.

    On April 25th, a Christian woman was involved in a minor car accident, which she reported to police, filing a complaint against the driver of the other vehicle. That driver, however, was the son of a prominent member of Fatah, the ruling party in the West Bank. Later that day, approximately 30 gunmen entered the Christian community, firing guns in the air, throwing gasoline bombs, and demanding that the complaint be withdrawn. No one was injured, though there was property damage in the vicinity of the attack which included some vehicles.

    Read more...

  • New Believer's Son Recovers from Coma
    ps bethlehem pixabay
    A hillside view of the West Bank

    The Voice of the Martyrs is supporting Christian workers who are ministering to many new believers in the West Bank, an area where tensions remain high between militant Muslims and Christians. One of the new believers being reached is a young mother, "Mary," who not only has an eagerness to learn more about the Bible, she's enthusiastically sharing her new-found faith with family members.

    Recently, the woman's young child fell out of a window -- more than 36 feet from ground level -- resulting in the hospitalization of her toddler who remained in a coma for two-and-a-half weeks. Although distressed during the ordeal, Mary willingly shared her Christian faith with doctors while her son was in the hospital, and also seized the opportunity to pray for the other sick children. Throughout this time, she held steadfastly onto her faith in God and, miraculously, her son eventually recovered.

    Please join us in praying that Mary's faith will grow even stronger, and that her family and those who are being touched by her Christian witness will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

    Read more...

  • IS Militants Warn, ''Leave or Risk Being Killed''
    A city in the Middle East
    Pray for the safety of Christians in the Holy Land.

    Leaflets distributed recently in East Jerusalem are warning Christians to leave the city before the end of Ramadan on July 18th or risk being killed. The leaflets are attributed to a group its own members refer to as the "Islamic State in Palestine."

    While Muslim and Christian religious leaders have been quick to condemn the leaflets, alarmed Christians residing in Jerusalem have requested prayer. As recently reported in one of our previously posted prayer alerts, there have been a number of recent incidents targeting Christians in Jerusalem's Old City, as well as reports of mounting pressure on Palestinian Christians amid fears of local Muslims being radicalized. To review this earlier report, please click here.

    Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Jerusalem who are increasingly concerned over the threats made by militants against their Christian community. Ask God to grant them a greater awareness of His reassuring presence, peace, guidance and protection (Psalm 122:6-8). And for those who are in opposition of these faithful followers of Christ, pray that the reverential fear of our Lord will come upon them so they may repent and wholeheartedly turn to Him as their blessed Saviour!

    Read more...

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Palestine Videos

 
Palestine: A Martyrs Wife
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Holy Land Exodus: Where Have All The Christians Gone?
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Palestine: Documentary about Ami Ortiz
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Palestine: Bombing victim forgives attacker
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