We see the news reports on Gaza and Israel daily on the media. Diaconate has two projects in both Israel and the Palestinian territories. We spoke to Lea Veerman, coordinator of Yad Elie in Jerusalem, on the situation in her country.
The shock was great for Lea. On Saturday morning, 7 October, news reports of the horrific terrorist attacks arrived in Jerusalem. Everyone was in shock. Unfortunately, across the street, some Palestinians were celebrating.
In the first days after 7 October, everyone was glued to the television or internet like a zombie. At the time of this interview, more than a week later, many in Israel are slowly recovering from the inhuman massacres in the kibbutzim and on the music grounds.
The pain remains. Every Israeli knows people who have been murdered, raped or kidnapped. An acquaintance of Lea's children, a 35-year-old woman, was murdered along with her husband, their six-year-old twins and their baby.
There were almost no funerals. For military personnel, there were. Possibly some of the dead could never be identified because their bodies were too much mutilated or burnt. Even a farewell and burial have not been granted to the families of these victims.
It is extra painful when you consider that many of those killed or kidnapped were not Israeli hardliners at all. Many from around the Gaza strip have worked for the Palestinians or are active in the peace movement. It is known that there is also at least one woman among those kidnapped who was actively working for the Palestinian cause.
Yad Elie gets back on track
At the moment, Lea can do little with the Yad Elie Foundation. The schools are closed, both on the Jewish and Palestinian sides. Fortunately, there is good contact with the school boards, also on the Palestinian side. But after major incidents, the first reaction is often still that they no longer want help from the Jewish side. School boards also have to deal with some parents who applaud terrorism.
After a period of calm, helping children from poor families can often get back on track. How would things go now? Careful consideration is being given to whether Yad Elie could temporarily help needy children outside the schools. Children who have been repatriated from dangerous border areas or otherwise fled.
Hope
Is there no hope then? The Palestinian cleaner in the street, came to ask interestedly how Lea was doing. Apparently he wants to show in this way that fortunately there are also many Palestinians who want to live together in peace.
