Displaying items by tag: conflict

As Israeli forces intensify their offensive centred on the Jabaliya refugee camp, over 400,000 civilians remain trapped in northern Gaza, according to the head of UNRWA. He expressed concerns about repeated evacuation orders and worsening humanitarian conditions, including hunger and the closure of key medical services. Israel's ongoing conflict with Hamas has led to widespread displacement, with hospitals forced to close and critical aid deliveries disrupted. The USA has called on Israel to urgently address the ‘catastrophic conditions’ in Gaza. Journalists and civilians continue to be casualties of the violence. Humanitarian groups have condemned the forced displacements, describing northern Gaza as turning into a ‘lifeless desert’ while southern regions struggle to cope with the influx of displaced people. There have been more than 42,000 Palestinian casualties since October 2023.

An Israeli airstrike on central Beirut, targeting a building connected to Hezbollah’s health unit, has killed at least six people and wounded seven more. On 28 September another airstrike on the city resulted in the death of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and Israel has now launched a ‘limited’ ground offensive in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah. The two forces are currently engaged in fierce combat, with casualties on both sides. Caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati has said that about 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, on 1 October Iran launched 180 missiles against Jerusalem, with remarkably few casualties, and Yemen’s Houthis and armed groups in Iraq have launched attacks in the region in support of Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza.

Following extensive air strikes targeting Hezbollah, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, Israel's military chief, has indicated that a ground invasion into Hezbollah-controlled territory in Lebanon might be imminent. The air strikes, which hit Hezbollah’s intelligence directorate and weapons stores, killed over fifty people, according to Lebanon's health minister. Hezbollah escalated the conflict by firing a missile toward Tel Aviv, the first such strike by the group on the city, which Israel intercepted. Cross-border fighting has continued, with Hezbollah launching more rockets and Israel responding with over 280 airstrikes on Hezbollah targets. Since Monday, more than six hundred people have been killed in Lebanon, and 90,000 have been displaced. There is no end in sight to the fighting, which is linked to Hezbollah’s support for Hamas in Gaza. Breaking news: Benjamin Netanyahu has flown to New York to address the UN General Assembly on 27 September.  He has resolutely turned down the call by a number of countries for an immediate 21-day ceasefire. See

A video of a bloodied academic doctor openly criticising Hamas highlights a shift in Gaza. Filmed after an Israeli operation, and illustrating growing frustration, the video has gone viral. Critics accuse Hamas of endangering civilians by hiding hostages in populated areas and launching rockets from civilian zones. Some Gazans are now calling for a ceasefire with Israel, and even within Hamas's ranks discontent is rising. The group's longstanding control is weakening, with criminal gangs and chaos increasing. Despite ongoing support from some, many are now criticising Hamas for the war's devastation and their lack of preparedness. The situation remains complex, with a significant portion of the population still blaming Israel and its allies. The internal battle for public opinion within Gaza is intensifying, with Hamas sensitive to criticism and actively managing its image on social media.

Israel will begin to implement four-hour ’humanitarian pauses’ in northern Gaza each day to allow people to flee, the White House has said. A spokesman called the move a step in the right direction, and said the USA wanted the pauses to continue as long as they are needed. Israel has committed to announcing each window at least three hours in advance. The US still does not support a ceasefire in Gaza at this time, but aims to see at least 150 humanitarian trucks entering the strip each day. Fierce fighting has continued, and the health ministry in Gaza (controlled by Hamas) says that the number of Palestinians killed is now more than 10,000. Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad has released a video of two hostages, and offered to release them if certain conditions were met. The hostages criticised Benjamin Netanyahu; it was not certain if they were reading from a script. A humanitarian conference in Paris today called for a total ceasefire: see

An airstrike in Ethiopia’s Amhara region has killed 26 people, as detailed widespread killings of civilians broke out this month. Fano militiamen had flooded towns and cities in Amhara, briefly taking over several of them; they attacked police stations and garrisons, freed prisoners and intermittently took control of Lalibela airport. Early in August federal forces managed to push them out. Ethnic tensions and land conflicts lie behind Amhara’s clashes. This fighting is Ethiopia’s biggest security crisis since the civil war in neighbouring Tigray ended in November 2022, but there is now a state of emergency. Many had hoped Ethiopia was inching back towards stability and away from a conflict that caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. Prime minister Abiy Ahmed’s reputation as a Nobel-prizewinning peacemaker is being shredded. He had hoped to reach deals with the IMF and the World Bank to rescue Ethiopia’s war-wrecked economy.

People escaping the fighting in Khartoum are creating a crisis in South Sudan. Roughly 50,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to South Sudan. However, putting people from different tribal groups in the same refugee camp creates fear and anxiety, with tensions boiling over. In many of these regions, there is much hostility. Even in the city of Malakal 13 people were killed in a conflict in the United Nations refugee camp. Orphanages are being evacuated and children displaced. For refugee children, going from fighting in their home country to fighting in the refugee camp is frightening. Child Evangelism Fellowship has been serving refugee camps in South Sudan since 2016. Its staff now want to reach this new wave of Sudanese refugees and children pouring in from the northern border. It has a burden to bring relief, comfort, and the gospel. However, some of South Sudan’s northern cities are difficult and even dangerous to get into.

America’s largest Protestant denomination is grappling with gender issues and politics. The recent Southern Baptist Convention expelled its largest and most prominent church, Saddleback Church in California, because it installed a woman pastor. Saddleback still operates as a church, and its members will not be overtly impacted. But Southern Baptist leadership’s ejection of such a high-profile member church underlines their struggles with gender, sexuality, abuse, politics and race, including criticisms from an energetic right flank that the group is drifting to the 'woke’ left. The convention also removed other churches over women holding certain leadership roles, and a Florida church over a sex abuse case. Saddleback was founded by pastor Rick Warren, who built a national profile thanks to the then innovative posture as ‘seeker-sensitive,’ attuned to those unfamiliar with, or wary of, traditional church experiences. He also wrote the best-selling book ‘The Purpose-Driven Life’.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is an Iran-supported terror organisation. On 27 January Israeli special forces conducted an unusually complex early morning raid in Jenin, eliminating a PIJ cell suspected of planning major attacks. The Associated Press reported nine dead including four Hamas terrorists and three from PIJ. The PIJ responded by issuing threats of escalation. We can pray for an increase in Israel's success against terrorism as accurate and actionable intelligence is passed on to Israel’s security forces. Hours after the raid seven people were killed outside a synagogue, and two Israelis were shot in occupied East Jerusalem. The worst violence in years across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories continues. On 29 January Pope Francis said, ‘It is with great pain that I hear news coming from the Holy Land.’ He called on Israel and Palestinians to engage in dialogue, pursue peace and halt the spiral of death.

Ukraine reported over 90,000 Russian troops and tanks being moved to the border, inside Ukraine’s territory, causing western powers concerns. On 7 December Vladimir Putin spoke via a video link with Joe Biden, who called for a de-escalation of tensions. Hours before the video talks, Washington was not planning to make a military response, but to use tough economic sanctions. However, by 8 December it said it was preparing strong economic and ‘other measures’ over fears of a Russian invasion. Mr. Biden and leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Italy agreed to use ‘all the tools at their disposal’. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration was preparing specific robust responses in the weeks ahead ‘if they were required’. Moscow denies it has plans to attack. See