Gaza crisis deepens as violence persists, leaving residents desperate. Fr. Romanelli and activists push for peace amid faint ceasefire hopes.
Newsroom (04 July 2025, Gaudium Press )In Gaza, desperation tightens its grip daily, transforming the region into what Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of Gaza’s Holy Family Latin Church, calls “a cage, not just an open-air prison.” Reached by phone during a rare moment of restored communication after Israeli-imposed blockades, Romanelli described a worsening humanitarian crisis. “The situation is becoming harder by the day,” he said, as relentless Israeli military operations, including bombs and rockets, intensify living conditions already strained by nearly two years of conflict.
The violence persisted even during the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which briefly dominated global headlines. “If anything, it was worse,” Romanelli noted, with dozens of daily casualties adding to Gaza’s toll. The conflict, now in its 634th day, has left residents exhausted and hopeless, with no humanitarian aid, open borders, or ceasefire in sight.
A Parish Under Siege
At Holy Family Latin Church, Romanelli oversees 500 refugees, many battling depression as the war grinds on. “They are very, very tired,” he said. “They see no end.” The parish struggles to maintain normalcy, having completed the school year and briefly started summer activities for children and families. But safety concerns forced their suspension. “Shrapnel falls constantly,” Romanelli explained. “Even refugees in the church feel the danger, with bullets and debris piercing windows.”
Swelteringly unbearable, Gaza’s summer heat—nearing 40°C with high humidity—compounds the misery. Limited solar-powered batteries offer fleeting relief from fans, but supplies are dwindling. “We ration everything,” Romanelli said, noting that food reserves from a prior ceasefire sustain the parish and nearby families for now, though for how long remains uncertain. Unlike earlier in the conflict, when the Latin Patriarchate aided tens of thousands, resources are now stretched thin.
Diplomatic Hopes and Harsh Realities
Diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire have resumed, with cautious optimism pinned on an upcoming meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump’s recent success in halting the Israel-Iran conflict has fueled hopes he can broker peace in Gaza. Yet Romanelli remains skeptical. “They say this week could change something, but we still hear bombs, feel the earth shake,” he said. “We won’t delude ourselves until we see results. Disillusionment is common currency here.”
The priest’s caution reflects Gaza’s repeated disappointments. Announcements of potential ceasefires often raise hopes only to be dashed by continued violence. “Every person with common sense asks for peace,” Romanelli said. “Wars hurt everyone—Israeli and Palestinian societies are wounded, exhausted.”
Grassroots Calls: Bridging the Divide
Amid the tragedy, glimmers of solidarity emerge. Activists from Standing Together, an Arab-Israeli NGO founded in 2015, are pushing for peace and reconciliation. In Gaza, Palestinians, including grieving parents, hold silent protests displaying images of Israeli children killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. In Israel, Standing Together members have marched with photos of Palestinian children killed in the conflict, defying initial police bans. These acts aim to highlight the shared suffering of both peoples, uniting them in a call for peace.
Co-chaired by Alon Lee Green and Rula Daood, Standing Together seeks to end Israel’s military occupation and racial discrimination, representing thousands of Israeli Palestinians and Jews. Despite Israel’s polarized climate, the group organizes protests nationwide, advocating for coexistence and an end to the conflict.
In Gaza, where suffering transcends borders, such initiatives offer a faint hope. “A ceasefire is the first step,” Romanelli said. “We pray and work for peace.” But as bombs continue to fall, that peace remains elusive, and Gaza’s cage grows ever tighter.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it