Rasim, his wife Yasmin, and their five children were asleep in their home in Gaza when the bombing began. The night sky lit up with explosions. Suddenly, their home was struck and collapsed upon them. The family was buried under heaps of concrete and debris. Darkness enveloped them, and the air was thick with dust.
Despite being trapped under the rubble, they found that there was a little space around them which allowed them to breathe. The children’s desperate sobbing and fear drove Yasmin to pray for a miracle. But the endless minutes turned into hours. Time seemed unending and dark. Five days and five nights went by.
Finally, they heard noises. Beams of light pierced through the darkness; rescuers slowly and carefully cleared the way. Hands pulled Rasim, Yasmin, and their children out – one by one – covered in dust, with bruises and scratches, but alive. Everybody was in awe. How could they be still alive after such a long time under the ruins?
Yasmin beamed with grateful tears in her eyes, when she shared their miraculous story. “A man in a shining white gown came a few times to us and brought water and food. I asked him for his name, and the stranger replied: “I am Isa al Masih!”
The family had been devout Muslims and had never before been in contact with any Christians. But now, together with others in Gaza, they have found hope and life in their faith in Jesus.
How to Pray
- Pray enduring, lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
- Pray for the traumatized people of Gaza: that they will be comforted.
- Ask God for peaceful political solutions that bring an end both to war and terror.
- Pray for more Palestinians to hear and believe the Good News of Jesus, and to be comforted by God in times of distress and grief.
The story of the miracle rescue in Gaza is exciting! Is there a way to find out the original source of the story?