Israel Archives - Stories

Christians in Gaza Struggle Amid Conflict, Attack

vomtechsupport — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 08:07:03 +0000

Christians in Gaza have suffered greatly amid the ongoing regional conflict that began on Oct. 7, 2023. “We had about 900 [Christians], and after the war about 200 of them, at least, left Gaza,” said Pastor Hanna Massad of Christian Mission to Gaza. He also said that living conditions for those who remained have been difficult: “It has been really hard for them. Many of them [have] lost a lot of weight.” Many of the Christians unable to flee from Gaza are sheltering in a Catholic church, which was struck by an Israeli tank shell on July 17, 2025, killing three people. A priest and a relative of Rami Ayyad were among those killed. Rami was the former manager of the only Christian bookstore in Gaza and was killed by Islamists in 2007 for his faith and ministry activities. The Israeli government claimed the strike on the church was a mistake and is investigating.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Israel and learn how to pray.

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West Bank Christians Threatened

vomtechsupport — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:07:03 +0000

Radical Muslims in the West Bank have threatened to kill a Christian convert from Islam and his family, including his four children. After receiving the death threats, the man and his family fled from Bethlehem to hide in a larger city. They request prayer that Israeli authorities will allow them to stay. Another West Bank convert to Christianity was confronted by his parents and his village imam with an ultimatum: Return to Islam within a month or be imprisoned by local Palestinian officials. “When a Palestinian Muslim embraces Christ, it leads not only to a change in their religious beliefs, but their community also perceives that he or she has betrayed their own people,” a front-line worker explained. “No one wants to be related to a traitor, so the pressure from family members on new Christian converts is often intense and violent.” The worker requested prayer for both converts.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Israel and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Christian converts on iCommitToPray.com

Ethiopian Jews Who Follow Christ Face Challenges

vomtechsupport — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 07:07:25 +0000

Many Ethiopian Jews in Israel face discrimination based on their ethnicity. For some, this rejection causes disillusionment, leading to a life of drug addiction and crime. One Ethiopian Jew who placed his faith in Christ years ago says that while the Ethiopian community forms less than 2% of Israel’s population, it makes up about 45% of the Jewish prison population. Some, however, are turning to Christ as their Messiah. When they do, they face new forms of discrimination, usually from family members, who force them from their homes. The impact can be particularly challenging for young people who do not have established lives or incomes. Front-line workers request prayer for those young converts for secure housing, job training and ongoing discipleship so they will grow in their faith.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Israel and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for young converts on iCommitToPray.com

Looking for “Peacemakers on Both Sides”

vomtechsupport — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:07:05 +0000

A pastor and his church are providing food for their community in war-torn Gaza to spread the love of God. “Each day brings more loss, and even basic food is becoming harder to find,” said Pastor Hanna, a Christian from Gaza. “Yet, in the midst of darkness, God’s light continues to shine.” Pastor Hanna coordinates teams that prepare and distribute food inside Gaza amid the current conflict. The food is given to Christians and also to the wider community in the territory as the team works to share God’s love in the warzone. “On May 22, we provided 880 hot meals,” Pastor Hanna said, adding that the logistics of providing the meals are challenging and costs have been increasing. He asks for prayer for everyone in the region. “May God raise up peacemakers on both sides, in Jesus’ name,” he prayed.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Israel and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Pastor Hanna and teams on iCommitToPray.com

Christians Help the Hungry in Gaza

vomtechsupport — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 07:07:09 +0000

A pastor in Gaza and his team are regularly providing hot meals to hundreds of people sheltering and trying to survive the current conflict. “We have been able to distribute meals to the people in Rafah and the middle of the Gaza Strip,” the pastor said. “The situation is very dire, and people are desperate for food.” The pastor is grateful for support from the global body of Christ that enables his team to provide aid and hope to the suffering. “May God bless you abundantly for your kindness and compassion towards our brothers and sisters in Gaza,” he said.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Israel and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Christian ministry in Gaza on iCommitToPray.com

God at Work Amid the Horror of War

vomtechsupport — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:07:07 +0000

Front-line workers shared how God is moving in Israel, including Gaza and the West Bank, amid the conflict raging throughout the region. One Christian leader said, “Please pray for believers inside of Gaza. As the conflict intensifies, and the possibilities of death increase, there is a growing intentionality to share the gospel with friends and families. We have heard testimonies of those living in shelters because their homes have been damaged and are sharing boldly — and there seems to be an openness.” Another ministry leader reported that an Israeli soldier gave his life to the Lord and was baptized shortly before being called to active military service. There have also been reports of Christians from a Jewish background meeting with Christian Arabs and Palestinians. “These days, we must be a people of hope in the midst of so much hopelessness. And hope is only a wish if it is not hope in Christ,” a front-line worker said.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Israel and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Israel on iCommitToPray.com

Urgent Prayer Needed for Families, Churches of Gospel Workers

vomtechsupport — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 07:07:07 +0000

Christians in Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza) have requested prayer amid ongoing conflict that began on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters launched attacks along the Israeli-Gaza border. A church in one of the communities infiltrated in the initial coordinated attack asks for prayer as they seek to share the love of Christ and meet the needs of their community. Another church located in a major city struggles to meet the needs of their community as an unofficial blockade has restricted daily goods such as food and fuel. VOM has also heard from many front-line workers requesting prayer for family members who are directly involved in the armed forces and one worker whose parents’ apartment was bombed. “As we live in a land where hatred and extremism continue to dominate, we realize there is spiritual warfare involved,” a front-line worker said. “Pray that God might use our churches as active witnesses during this challenging time.”

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Israel and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Christians in Israel on iCommitToPray.com

ISRAEL: “My Faith in Christ Fulfills My Jewish Identity”

vomtechsupport — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 17:09:02 +0000

William Cameron Townsend said, “The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner.” But what if the “mother tongue” is no longer easily understood? That can often be the case with the Bible in Israel.

Listen as Brother Victor, the director of Israel Bible Society shares what God has done through their organization’s effort to spread God’s Word. It can still be difficult to find complete Hebrew Bibles in Israel. And the majority of the population in Israel cannot easily understand the original Hebrew text, which is now 2700 years old. That’s why the Israel Bible Society has created resources to help Hebrew speakers understand the original text with explanations in today’s Hebrew language.

Sharing about Jesus or the Christian faith is often received negatively by Jews in Israel. Many think becoming a Christian means losing or even betraying their Jewish identity. But as more people in Israel choose to follow Christ, more Jews are acquainted with their own people who have believed in Christ as Messiah while keeping their Jewish roots.

Bible work in Israel is not without opposition, and Victor will share stories of challenges he and the Bible Society have faced. He will also encourage us to pray for God’s Word to go forth in Israel and for God to open hearts to the gospel and increase a hunger for His Word across the Holy Land.

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ISRAEL: “I Was Drawn to Jesus”

vomtechsupport — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 17:09:02 +0000

Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Erez Soref knew well many of the places mentioned in the Bible and prominent in the story of the life of Christ. But he didn’t know about Jesus! Traveling outside his country, he met a group of Christians. Through their witness and by reading the New Testament for the first time, Soref was convinced in his heart that Jesus Christ was the Messiah for all–Jews and Gentiles.

Returning to Israel, he was anxious to tell his family and others about his newfound faith. But when he did, he found that they weren’t nearly as excited about it as he was.

Listen as he explains the situation today for Christians in Israel—a democracy where religious freedom is protected by law, but also a place where many don’t want to see the gospel spread. What does it mean to follow Christ? What sacrifices must new believers make? What does persecution look like? Why is it easier to find a Quran printed in Hebrew than a New Testament? And how can Christians in other nations pray for and support Israeli believers?

Today, Dr. Soref is the president of One For Israel Bible College, which provides quality Biblical training to pastors and Christians leaders, as well as other Christians who want to deepen their Biblical understanding. He will share specific ways to pray for our brothers and sisters in Israel, including that they will continue to have open doors, legally, to share their faith.

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Young Convert in Jerusalem Persecuted by Family

Megan — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000

While Christian converts from Islam in the West Bank and Gaza are threatened by government authorities and extremist groups, Christian converts in Israel are more often threatened by family members.

Amal, a Palestinian Arab from Jerusalem, was 13 the first time she heard about Jesus, and it took two more years of study and consideration before she accepted Christ. “I started to get real lost, and I reached a point where I was at a junction,” Amal said. One night she prayed, “Okay, God, I want to ask you if you are the God of Islam. Just tell me that you are and I will wear the hijab [head covering], and I will do all the prayers that you want. But if you are the God of Christians, even if this will lead me to be killed, I will still believe in you.” She knew the stakes were high; her school teacher had told her that according to the Quran, Muslims who convert to another religion should be killed.

That night, Amal had a dream. “In my dream, I woke up and there was a lot of light and I couldn’t look at it,” she said. “The light told me to start walking. Every time I fell, [someone] would grab my hand, pull me up and continue walking. We reached an oasis. He asked me to grab a book out of the water. He said, ‘The answer you are looking for is inside that book; open the last pages and you will find the answer there.’ I read the verse where it says in John 14:6, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’ Then I woke up.”

Amal didn’t know where the verse had come from, so she searched both the Quran and the Bible. When she found the verse in the Bible, she decided to give her life to the Way, the Truth and the Life. “Since then, I started to see how the Lord is working, and he is protecting me,” she said.

Amal’s new life in Christ was not free of trouble, however. Every time her mother found a Bible in her room, she burned it. Amal’s mother burned nine of her Bibles over the next three years.

But her biggest challenge came from her older brother. When Amal was 18, she came home late one night after visiting a Christian in the hospital. “Where were you?” her brother demanded. Amal told him she had been at the hospital. “No, you are lying; you were at a service,” he said. She was surprised that her brother would know the term for a Christian meeting, but she again told him she had been at the hospital and started to walk away.

“The next thing I remember, my head was smashing into the window glass,” she said. “I was in shock because in our house no one used violence. I heard him yelling in the background to my father that I was doing bad stuff.”

Both Amal’s brother and father began to beat her. She ran from the kitchen into the bathroom, but her brother followed, hitting her. “Then he dragged me to my room,” she said. “The last thing I remember was that I got slapped really hard in the face, and I fainted onto my bed.” When she woke up a few minutes later, her family was crying and screaming. Her father had had a stroke.

For the next two weeks, Amal was forced to stay in her room. Her family took away her phone, her ID card, everything. She couldn’t eat, and she was afraid her brother would come after her again if she went to the bathroom. Her health deteriorated, and after 16 days she fainted. Her family found her on the floor of her room and rushed her to the hospital.

Her injuries prompted hospital staff to call the police, but Amal chose not to tell police what her family had done to her. “Even though I wanted to tell, I wanted to be like a testimony and prove that I am [God’s] daughter,” she said.

After the attack, Amal moved away from home to attend university. She went to a Bible college, but her family thought she was studying social work.

On graduation day, her father picked her up in his car. When she got in, he threw a newspaper at her. “I didn’t understand why he did that,” she said. “He just gave me a look and didn’t say anything.” She picked up the paper and saw what her father had seen — her own photo in the newspaper with a caption underneath stating her completion of a theology degree. When she looked up at her father, he told her, “Just ask God that your brother won’t see.” Her father didn’t speak to her again for two months, and her brother never found out about her degree.

Even though Amal is an adult, she continues to live at home so she can minister to her brother and sisters. She has led all three of her sisters and her younger brother to the Lord.

Amal’s father and mother now accept her faith, but they don’t acknowledge it. “My father … believes he has two choices: either to kick me out of the home or just accept what I do,” she said. “He doesn’t want to kick me out because of our culture of shame. It is shameful to kick your daughter out. If he accepts what I do, then it is like he is giving me permission to do even more. He just lives in that denial area where he knows nothing.”

Amal’s older brother is married and no longer lives with the family, but he continues to threaten her. “My brother, he knows,” she said. “He keeps on telling me, ‘I am just waiting to do something to hurt you.’”

Amal’s passion for Jesus keeps growing. She and another young Christian convert from Islam are leading a small house church for a group of new converts in Jerusalem, most former Muslims. The converts are all young adults and deeply committed to the Lord. Their weekly worship and fellowship times provide spiritual fuel for them for the whole week. One by one, they are leading their friends, family members and fellow students to the Lord, offering the hope of Christ to a new generation in the Holy Land.