Christian leaders and pastors are calling on the faithful to offer prayers as the unrest between Israel and Palestine continues in the Middle East.
The attacks on Israel that began earlier this week have escalated in waves almost every day since Monday, with Palestine's Hamas attacking Jerusalem with a barrage of rockets. Israel has responded with ground- and air strikes, eliminating a number of top Hamas leaders. The casualties of what the United Nations believe could escalate into a "full-scale war" has risen to over 600.
Labeled the worst since 2014, the conflicts between Israel and Palestine began as riots on May 10 at a holy site in East Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is revered by both Jews and Muslims, BBC reported.
The Hamas military group demanded Israeli police to move out of the holy site known as the Temple Mount, but the Israeli refrained, causing the Palestinians to launch an attack. It quickly escalated into a raging exchange of Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes. By Thursday evening, Israel's military had eliminated Gaza targets that included intelligence buildings and establishments used by Hamas militants.
Gaza's health ministry reported at least 103 people dead amidst the Israel and Palestine conflict, including 27 children. In Israel's Sderot city, a 6 year old boy was killed when a rocket hit his home. The Israeli military is working on a ground attack against the Palestinian Hamas militant group.
The unrest between Israel and Palestine's Hamas has caused the cancellation of the historic Jerusalem Day Flag March, which celebrates Israel's unification in 1967. The celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr on May 10 was also met with bleakness in Palestine. Now, several Christian leaders and pastors are calling for prayer among the religious.
The Christian Post reported that on Wednesday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland called for an immediate halt to the tensions between Israel and Palestine, saying that it's "escalating towards a full-scale war."
"The cost of war in Gaza is devastating [and] is being paid by ordinary people," Wennesland took to Twitter to say. "UN is working w/ all sides to restore calm. Stop the violence now."
Wennesland also called upon the "political, religious and community leaders on all sides to stand firmly against violence, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric," warning that if they let the Israel and Palestine conflict remain "unaddressed," it would "spiral out of control."
Meanwhile, Christian leaders and pastors in the U.S took to social media to condemn the conflicts and urge the faithful to pray for Israel.
Pastor Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas recounted how he once visited the Middle East and met "many wonderful people," for whom he requested prayers amidst the conflict.
Fellowship Church Pastor Ed Young in Grapevine, Texas urged the faithful to "Pray with me. For protection of the innocent. For peace. For loved ones lost. For our leaders. In Jesus name."
Evangelist and Samaritan's Purse CEO Franklin Graham took to Facebook to share that he had many friends in Israel who are on both sides of the conflict as Jews and Arabs. The 68-year-old son of the famed evangelist Billy Graham wrote, "People have been killed, families are cowering in fear in bomb shelters, and they need our prayers. As we are commanded in the Scriptures, let us 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem' (Psalm 122:6)."
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference's Pastor Samuel Rodriguez and Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie in California also shared similar calls to action to pray for peace in Israel and the Middle East.
