Hanna Massah speaks about life in Gaza

Hanna Massah

The Gaza Strip is the most densely populated area in the world; about 30 miles long and 7 miles wide with 1.5 million people living in it! With unemployment figures of 50%, sometimes as high as 70% or more, Paul Calvert decided to talk with resident and Pastor of the 200 strong Gaza Baptist church in Gaza, Hanna Massah.

Paul: What needs and difficulties do you face in Gaza?

Hanna: The Christian community in Gaza is about 2000 people - as Christians we live and face different kinds of fires; we have the fires of the Israeli occupation on the one hand (the siege, the economical difficulties are affecting the whole Gaza Strip including the Christians as well); we also face the fire of the militant Muslims and also unfortunately the fire of some nominal Christians. The challenge is how you reflect your Christian faith in the midst of all that.

Paul: So how easy is it for you to be a Pastor in this very difficult situation?

Hanna: It's a great privilege for me to pastor in this difficult situation because you feel the power of the Lord; His abundant grace in the middle of the difficulties. Yes there are a lot of difficulties - persecution and challenges, but as you experience the presence of God it helps you to continue to go forward in the midst of all that.

Paul: Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip have things become worse for you?

Hanna: Yes! Some of the militants saw it as a green light to persecute the Christians more and more; the persecution is happening in all the Christian community but especially for the Evangelical church.

Paul: You've also had damage done to your church, what happened?

Hanna: Well, a number of times we have received threats that people want to put bombs in the church building; but we thank God that this didn't happen! The militants have used our building as a watch tower where they start to shoot back at Fatah, the Palestinian Authority run by Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas group. That has caused damage to our building, like the windows, a number of times they have broken into the church and caused damage to our church building.

Paul: Do you become angry when you see these things happening to your beautiful building?

Rami Ayad

Hanna: We try to give these things to the Lord and be patient and wise in the midst of all that and to respond in the Christian loving way. It's very challenging sometimes; but God has been helping in the midst of all that.

Paul: Your wife is the Director of the Palestinian Bible Society in Gaza and you have a bookshop there; is the bookshop vital to the Christian community?

Hanna: Well, the Bible Society bookshop has been bombed twice; once in February 06 and another time which was much worse in April last year; they destroyed most of the first floor of the Bible Society and the previous one in 06 we received a threatening letter. It was just a tough time; we felt our lives were in danger. It was a very difficult time to go through, but again God has been helping us to overcome all these difficulties.

Paul: As well as suffering with the bombings, in another incident one of your church members was murdered, what happened?