MORE THAN $49,000 HAS BEEN RAISED BY AMERICAN PASTORS FOR CHRISTIANS IN GAZA.
By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, January 09, 2024
Pastor William Devlin poses for a photo in Gaza City, Gaza, Rimel section, on July 1, 2023. | William Devlin/Widows And Orphans
An American pastor stated that during the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war, he and the charity network he leads have raised tens of thousands of dollars to help Christians in Gaza.
William Devlin, Mission Pastor of Infinity Bible Church in the South Bronx, has visited Gaza more than thirty times. In July, he last visited Gaza to minister to Christians in the last three churches in Gaza: Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Baptist.
After the Israeli-Hamas war began in October, the pastor described the state of Christians in Gaza as "dangerous" in an interview with the Christian Post. He stated that only about 1,000 people follow Christ out of the 2.2 million people living in Gaza.
Devlin runs REDEEM! and widows and orphans after a ministerial trip to Gaza in 2010. Widows and orphans have raised more than $49,000 for Gaza Christians in the war zone through the end of December. 52 churches of various denominations and kind donors in the United States are funding it.
Devlin said that getting financial aid to Gaza should be sent first to the West Bank, from where his colleagues are sending funds to Gaza. However, due to the current conflict, the transfer of funds has become difficult.
He said, "We will get that money there to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Jesus once the banks in Western Union open."
"I often come into contact with people in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches," Devlin said. "Often it depends if the network is working and they can charge their phones because electricity is very expensive, and often they can't charge their phones, use the internet, or use WhatsApp."
In response to the attacks that took place in October, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza. Seven surprise attacks by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel killed at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, including at least 30 Americans. In its offensive, Israel sought to wipe out the Hamas terror group, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, and freed more than 240 hostages held by Hamas on October 7.
More than 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry on Monday. More than 58,000 others were injured.
"That's my hope and my prayer," Devlin said. "May God protect our brothers in Jesus in Gaza."
According to reports, Palestinian Christians caught up in the Israeli-Hamas conflict are facing increasingly "desperate" conditionsMany Christian refugees from Gaza seek refuge in the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family or the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrios.
In October, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem stated that Israeli airstrikes destroyed a building in the Greek Orthodox Church compound that sheltered about 500 Palestinian Christians and Muslims.
The IDF confirmed that the airstrikes had destroyed part of the church, but they clarified that they were targeting the Hamas military compound rather than the church.
Shrapnel from an Israeli army attack that targeted nearby buildings in December destroyed the Church of the Holy Family.
Winning the Purple Heart for serving in Vietnam, Devilin has been rewarded for his continued support of marginalized Christians around the world. He received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from the President's White House Council on Civic Service and Participation last December.
The pastor said he had local team leaders on the ground who spoke the language and helped Devlin when needed in the 18 countries Devlin visited, including Egypt, Gaza, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Jordan.
Devlin aims to offer the community whatever help they require, as well as financial assistance if necessary. He stated that the volunteer he worked with was a person he had known for many years, affirming that he had traveled to Gaza for more than ten years.
"I know these people; I know their families, and they will give me the families they have examined, and they can assure me that the money will help buy food; it will help buy medicine," the Christian humanitarian worker said.
The pastor questioned why more religious leaders had not ventured into Gaza, though he acknowledged that it was not safe because of the current conflict. He called on more religious leaders to venture into Gaza once they were allowed.
He asked, "Why don't more Christian leaders go to Gaza to help alleviate the suffering of their brothers?"
According to the pastor, religious leaders should go "into the world and preach the gospel." He also wanted to be a "living example" by going to war zones where the followers of Jesus were "surrounded.".
Devlin spoke of the Christians in Gaza, saying, "They need practical help; they need prayer." They need to be blessed by Your presence, just as Jesus did for us."
Devlin said he would support calls for a cease-fire in Gaza. However, he stressed that Hamas would not respect the terms of the ceasefire because the group had violated them before.
The missionary expressed disappointment in the Israel Defense Forces and said that the Israeli military did not protect the three Christian churches in Gaza as promised. Devlin stated that the allegation that an IDF sniper allegedly killed a mother and daughter in a Gaza church last month is disputed.
Devlin stated, "Unfortunately, speaking as combat veterans of the Vietnam conflict, innocent people in the war have always suffered the greatest losses on both sides of the conflict; "now, it will be Gaza."
The pastor continues to ask the IDF to look after the Christian Church in Gaza and has offered to help deliver aid to widows and orphans.
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