Clearly.. Christmas in the Time of Genocide

We, the children of Gaza, on Christmas Eve, are still being killed by the bullets and shells of the occupation army, and we are dying of cold, homeless, in the open, under the impact of genocide and the ravages of the raging slaughter. We wish the world a glorious holiday, and that it will keep the commandments of Christ and his message that he called for, justice and peace, and confronting oppression and injustice and fighting falsehood, and that they will not stand on the side of neutrality and silence.

We, the children of Gaza, on Christmas Eve, miss our families, our mothers and fathers, the warmth of our homes and bedrooms that were bombed by planes. We also miss the safety, the joy of the happy holiday, the Christmas tree and the holiday decorations. We do not know what sin we have committed that our fate is suspended at the gate of the end of the year, attached to the Rafah land gate, on the desert border with our sister country, Egypt.

We are the children of Gaza on Christmas Eve. No one gives us presents and we have no new clothes. We search for a loaf of bread and a drink of water, and we cannot find a roof to protect us from the planes’ fire, the winter rain, the cold of the nights and the frost of the time. We do not wait for Santa Claus to visit us, because the borders are closed and besieged from all sides, and he is forbidden to approach them, and we are forbidden to live the joy of the holiday, because the occupation has decided to arrest him if he comes to Gaza, so Santa Claus will not come this year, and he will not give us holiday gifts.

We, the children of Gaza, on Christmas Eve, are looking for a moment of calm, free from the sounds of bombing. We are waiting for this war to end, so that those of us who survived can return to life. We are still hopeful. We wish the world a happy holiday, and that peace will prevail in the land of peace. We only hope that you will include us in your prayers tonight, and that salvation will be for all of us.

We, the children of Gaza, on Christmas Eve, say to the world: Stop this war, stop this destruction, and do not be satisfied with silence, and do not be like those who witnessed the killing of children on Christmas Eve, and then sought refuge in silence when fear and terror overcame them and remained neutral. Let us survive, and let all those who have survived so far in Gaza survive with us, for this is our message to you on the holiday, in the hope that the will of Christ will be fulfilled, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

We are the children of Gaza on Christmas Eve, searching for a piece of bread, a drink and water, searching for a moment of safety and salvation from this hell. So, will you help us, O world?