Letter from Gaza: The last word is for life and peace
Displaced Palestinians flee Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City (AFP or licensors)
By Suhail Abu DawoodHello everyone! I'm happy to be back with another article. Today is the 656th day of war, suffering, and death in our beloved Gaza Strip.
Thursday, 24 July, marked exactly one week since I was injured while I walked to the Father's house inside our church compound... It was 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, 17, for my lesson on spirituality.
The bomb was so strong I couldn't protect myself from the fragments, so sadly, I was injured on my lower back. The fragment damaged my right leg and caused some serious injuries inside my stomach and abdomen. I felt an excruciating pain and dropped to the floor, face down, and I started bleeding heavily.
Thank be to God, Father Gabriel and Father Iusuf saw that I was injured, so they called the ambulance to take me. Father Gabriel kneeled on the floor and held my head ( He has problems in his knees ), and Father Carlos was also with us as we prayed: O Lord Jesus, help us! O Holy Virgin Mary…
Thanks to God, they managed to take me to the Al-Ahly Hospital 10 minutes after I was injured. The situation there was something I couldn't describe; it was so awful. They put me in an emergency tent on the floor, and my mother, my father, my aunt, and Father Carlos stayed with me all the time.
Never in my life had I felt such pain and suffering. After so many days and months, I was wounded because of the war, and instead of bringing the news of the war to you, I was the news.
I will not forget what the Fathers told me when the pain was intolerable. They said to me: Remember the Calvary! Jesus was there, on the cross, suffering and dying, and you too put all your sufferings and pain on the Cross. Finally, after 2 hours of waiting, at noon, I was taken into Surgery to be operated on. Many fragments inside my abdomen caused infections. The surgery took about 5 hours, and I woke up at 7:00 pm.
Many people came to visit me: my family, parishioners, and, of course, our Fathers. I was totally out of focus. My injury isn't the end of writing, but it's the beginning of a new, empty page. As always, the last word isn't for death and war, but for life and peace. Because peace is stronger than war… To be continued.... --Vatican News
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