7 November 2023
Gaza City
The Holy Order of St. George last spoke with Archbishop Alexios in Gaza early Saturday. As of that conversation, there were no new injuries among those sheltering at St. Porphyrius Orthodox Church, although several windows were destroyed by ongoing blasts. The church community shares a common well with a nearby mosque so it has access to drinking water, however they will soon be out of fuel for the generator that operates the well.
As of today, Tuesday, we have been unable to reach any of our contacts in Gaza. Reports from news outlets such as Al Jazeera claim that Gaza is in another communications blackout, and that North Gaza and the city center have been surrounded by the Israeli Defense Forces and cut off from the rest of the area. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported that “troops are in the heart of Gaza City,” and external sources say that the ground combat is intensifying there.
Without access to our sources, we are intensifying our prayers for the safety of those sheltering at St. Porphyrius and for the souls of the thousands who have died so far in this war. We continue to monitor the situation as best we can with the limited information that we have access to.
We hope that communications can be restored quickly. We will update again as soon as we are able to speak with Archbishop Alexios and our other sources in Gaza.
Holy Great Martyr and Trophy-bearer George pray to God for those suffering in this war and everywhere!
