August 23rd News Bulletin

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) joins Aid Agencies and Medical Professionals in Warning of Dangers of Mass Polio Outbreak without Urgent Action, endangering a generation of children in Gaza

Aid agencies and medical professionals have joined forces to call urgently for a ceasefire to allow life-saving polio vaccinations to be administered to about 640,000 children aged under 10 following confirmation of the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years, with reports of other suspected cases emerging. At least 50,000 children born during the past 10 months of hostilities are highly unlikely to have received any immunizations due to the collapsed health system, while older children among the one million children in Gaza will have had their regular vaccine schedules disrupted or halted by violence and displacement.

A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast Breaking Silence for Palestine w/ Mae Elise Cannon

Join Executive Director of CMEP Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon as she explores the question, “I don’t want to be silent about the situation that Palestinians face but there is so much noise in the media that it’s hard to determine what is the right thing for me to do. What can I do to be in solidarity?” on the Presby Podcast. 

Thousands of protesters participate in the "March on the DNC" on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 19 in Chicago. (NCR photo/Heidi Schlumpf)

Pro-Palestinian protests at DNC include people of faith

National Catholic Reporter

“"I believe Jesus was a peacemaker whose message was that the call to discipleship involves engaging political forces," said Mark Frey of Chicago, who marched behind a "Christians for Ceasefire" banner with a group of Mennonites, Quakers and other Christians.”

The bodies of six Israeli hostages, including Chaim Peri, were brought back from Gaza by the Israeli army on Tuesday.

Netanyahu putting politics before Gaza deal, dead hostage's daughter says

BBC

“The daughter of one of the six Israeli hostages whose bodies were brought back from Gaza by Israel’s military on Tuesday has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of putting “political priorities” ahead of a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Inbal Albini Peri told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that her 80-year-old father Chaim and his friends would have been among the first people freed under any agreement with Hamas and that they “should have come back alive.”"
 

Beyond the Headlines August 26th
Join Churches for Middle East Peace on August 26th for a special webinar focusing on women working at the intersections of journalism and media in Palestine, and the unique role women play in shaping stories coming out of the Middle East. This webinar will pay specific attention to the current crisis in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) had a three-hour meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

US criticizes Israeli PM's 'maximalist' ceasefire stance

BBC

“A senior US administration official has pushed back at reported comments by Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing the Israeli prime minister of making “maximalist statements” that are “not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line”. It comes in the midst of an intense round of regional diplomacy by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as Washington tries to drive forward progress on a ceasefire and hostage release deal.”

Palestinians carry their children as they flee an Israeli attack on a school in Gaza City [Omar al-Qatta/AFP]

Israel strikes market and school in Gaza, killing at least 20 Palestinians

Aljazeera

“At least 20 more Palestinians have been killed in another deadly day in Gaza after Israeli forces targeted a busy market and a school sheltering the displaced people. At least eight Palestinians were killed on Tuesday in an Israeli attack on a crowded market in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent on the scene, who said the number of the dead could rise.”
 

A Palestinian woman looks on, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 22, 2024. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta 

Three Palestinians killed by Israeli strike in West Bank's Tulkarm camp, ministry says

Reuters

“A drone strike during an Israeli military operation in the volatile West Bank city of Tulkarm on Thursday killed three Palestinians, the Palestinian health ministry said. The strike, in the Tulkarm refugee camp, a crowded city township that houses families of refugees who fled during the 1948 Middle East war, targeted armed militants, the Israeli military said in a statement.”

Screen Grab from CBS article.

Second U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in Mideast amid regional conflict fears

CBS News

“A second United States aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday escorted by guided missile destroyers, the U.S. Central Command said. The carrier, equipped with F-35 fighter jets, added to the U.S. ships already in the region, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, which arrived in mid-July. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the Lincoln to transit from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East earlier this month as the Biden administration prepares to defend Israel against an expected Iranian attack.” 

Evangelicalism’s Relentless Zeal for Israel’s Relentless War on Gaza: with advocate Mae Elise Cannon

On August 13th Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon joined  Christian Forum on Israel-Palestine for a compelling virtual conversation on the Western (Evangelical) Church's unwavering support for Israel amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza. You can watch the conversation below.

Contact Us

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