The following news item is from our friends at Mission Network News online.

Middle East on the brink of war; believers in the crossfire.

Israel (MNN)--Topping the news, Israel has intensified her assault on Gaza, while at the same time escalating the military action in Lebanon. Open Doors' Carl Moeller says the Christian community there is facing a grim reality. "The extremism of the Hamas and Fatah factions that has polarized the internal relationships in Gaza have created a terrible vise, in which the remaining Christians in the Gaza strip have been caught." Moeller says they're committed to supporting the remnant church in the region, because: "Who else can speak to the warring factions, both internally among the Fatah and the Hamas in Gaza, and also between the extremist Muslims and the Israelis? The prince of peace, Jesus Christ, has planted his church there to be agents of peace. Without a Christian community, there's almost no one who can speak to both sides."