by BILL HEANEY
The Parish Priest of Gaza, who visited Glasgow a few years ago to tell of his community’s plight, has spoken out to remind the world of the forgotten sufferings of the people of Gaza.
Fr Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of Gaza’s Holy Family Church, appealed for urgent international action as worsening shortages of fuel, transport and necessities push the humanitarian crisis in the Strip “beyond disastrous.”
“When people say the situation here is disastrous, believe me: it really is disastrous—if anything, it calls for an even stronger word,” the Argentine-born priest says in a video message shared by the parish’s social media channels and in remarks to the Italian Catholic news agency SIR.
Fr Romanelli describes a daily struggle in which even short journeys have become increasingly difficult. Most of the parish’s vehicles are no longer usable because spare parts are unavailable. “We even took the battery from one car to keep another running,” he explains.
Fuel, he says, is both scarce and prohibitively expensive, with diesel costing around 13 US dollars per litre.The crisis has become so severe that Fr Romanelli, pictured right with Archbishop William Tollan, even considered replacing the parish’s vehicles with a donkey-drawn cart. But that option, too, is now beyond reach.
“I was told that a donkey now costs about 50,000 shekels, between 16,000 and 17,000 dollars,” he says. “Before the war, one cost between 1,000 and 2,000 shekels.”
The priest stresses that transport is essential for daily life, allowing people to reach hospitals, schools and workplaces, and to visit the sick and deliver humanitarian aid.
“Gaza is not so small that everything can be done on foot,” he says, noting that countless roads have been destroyed during the conflict.
The price of a donkey, which allows people to reach hospitals, schools and workplaces, to visit the sick and deliver humanitarian aid, has soared in Gaza.
Among the few encouraging developments, Fr Romanelli points to reports that the Israeli government has given initial approval for an international force linked to the Board of Peace to enter the Rafah area.
“That would at least be a first step,” he says.
Even so, Fr Romanelli insists that the greatest need remains support for Gaza’s civilian population.
“People are living with nothing,” he says. “Reconstruction is certainly essential, but so too are all the basic necessities of everyday life.”
Democrat reader Marion Young commented: ” FR Romanelli is correct. Donate either via groups like MAP, Viva Palestina Scotland, or direct to a family in Gaza. Where there is a will, there is always a way.”
Catherine McGovern asked: “Is it possible to help Fr Romanelli in some practical way? He showed so much love, care and unselfishness for his people when he spoke in Glasgow. Our Lady of Peace, pray for them.”
Vanessa Stark replied: “Yes, we all need to act. Faith leaders and medics who have worked there tell the truth.”
Shelagh Campbell added: “It surely is a tragedy that is being played out in full sight of a world that seems paralysed, unable to do anything in reality to halt it but send aid to allow survival of at least some of these souls.
“I don’t agree with any killing for any reason however I’m not sure if we ought to be reneging on international forces going into Israel to deal with it, after all it was allowed to become a problem decades ago without ever being adequately dealt with, and just because we have become less inclined to have international law attended to and criminal activity overlooked in this case I feel we have an added responsibility to act appropriately to ensure this travesty of justice doesn’t continue until Palestine and its people are killed.”