Weekly devotion: Remembering mothers and babies in Gaza
The Near East Council of Churches, Gaza
Women and children wait to be seen at the NECC clinic in the Shajaia neighbourhood of Gaza. This image was taken in April 2021; sadly, there have been reports that the clinic has been badly damaged in the recent fighting.
Even before the current Israel/Hamas war began on 6 October 2023, the situation in Gaza was dire for many. The 16-year blockade had decimated Gaza’s economy, with 80% of its inhabitants dependent on international aid and 45% of working-age people unemployed.
For many years, Embrace partner, the Near East Council of Churches (NECC), have provided medical care for the mothers and children of Gaza, whose health was severely impacted by the blockade. They did this by running pre-conception, antenatal and postnatal clinics, as well as well-baby clinics that provided regular check-ups to prevent and diagnose disease and developmental delays.
Since the war began on 7 October 2023, all of Embrace’s partners – including the NECC – have ceased their regular activities in Gaza, focusing instead on basic emergency services.
The war is disproportionately impacting women and children. Around 70% of reported deaths have been of women and children, and many more children have been orphaned or left with lifelong disabilities. There are also growing concerns around starvation and a marked increase in waterborne diseases.
Please pray with us that a full ceasefire will be brokered and that a workable political solution will be found to bring an end to the continuous outbreaks of violence in Palestine and Israel. Please also pray that conditions would allow the NECC to safely resume their vital services for women and children.
Bible reading
‘So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.’
Luke 2:4-7
Thought
Our hearts break as we think about the babies being born in Gaza in such challenging circumstances - and as we think of the detrimental impact of the war on young lives.
In this season of Advent, it is helpful to reflect on the birth of Jesus, which happened over 2,000 years ago in the same part of the world. Despite being the Son of God, Jesus chose to come into the world as a tiny, helpless baby. He was born into a poor, seemingly insignificant family and his human life began in a dark stable in a manger full of hay: ‘He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness’ (Philippians 2:7).
Ask yourself: Why did Jesus choose to come into this world in human form? On a personal level, reflect on what this means to you.
Prayer
Saviour God,
We are amazed that you chose to lay aside your glory and come into this dark world as a little baby in an ordinary family. We thank you for your incredible love for humankind – the love that motivated you to live the perfect life that we could not and to die on the cross at Calvary in our place.
Our thoughts at this time are also with the mothers, babies and children in Gaza - many who are traumatised, who have lost loved ones, who have been displaced from their homes. May you bless and prosper the work of the NECC, and we pray that they would be able to continue giving pregnant women and young children the care they desperately need and deserve.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NECC
CHRISTMAS APPEAL
As we celebrate the birth of Immanuel, God With Us, please help our Christian sisters and brothers in the Middle East to heal wounds and rebuild communities, so that those suffering will know that God is, indeed, still with them this Christmas.