Fears of war grow in Gaza

The sermons were about the sacrifice made by the Saviour, an affirmation of faith and belief in redemption, as befits a service on Christmas Day. But this is Gaza and there were also reminders of shared suffering and sorrow, the need for unity at a time of turbulence – a message reaching out to all fellow Palestinians.
Those gathered at St Thomas's Catholic Church had gone through a bloody and brutal war in the summer. They gave thanks for their survival through the dark times and, afterwards, they spoke about the hardship inflicted by living in a state of siege.
Ever present was the feeling that the conflict will reignite soon, an apprehension reinforced by border clashes on Christmas Eve involving warplanes and tanks.
There are just over 2,200 Christians left in Gaza: the church was filled with around 700 people for the Christmas Eve service which was followed by a show at the church hall and excited games of bingo that went on until three in the morning. There were fewer people attending on Christmas morning.
There was stringent security in place: Father George Hernandes, the resident priest at the church, said there had been “trouble” in the past, but refused to elaborate.
Archbishop Alexios of Tiberias and Gaza said, “The problem is that the situation continues to be very bad, for Christians and Muslims both, with the blockade by Israel... But it is not just the war – people here have had to face this now for a long while now. It is times like these that the devil does his work.”