Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
A small community of Christians sheltering in the last remaining Roman Catholic church in Gaza receive a daily call from Pope Francis to inquire about their safety.
Priests and nuns gather to hear the Pope speak in the stairwell of the Holy Family Church which is a sanctuary to about 500 Christians from neighbouring areas taking shelter from air strikes.
Israeli forces have ordered everyone in Gaza to move south but parishioners have said they will not leave the church located in Gaza city.
The first phone call from Pope Francis came on Monday night and has been followed by daily check-ins ever since.
Every day becomes more difficult with the bombardment because we don’t have electricity and water
Sister Nabila Saleh of the Rosary Sisters School in Gaza
“Every day the Pope calls us, he prays for all of us and comforts us,” Sister Nabila Saleh of the Rosary Sisters School in Gaza told The National.
“Pope Francis is working to make peace possible.
“We know we are in his prayers.”
The Pope has asked how many people have taken refuge in the parish and the support they require.
“He knows the pain and suffering of the people,” said the nun who manages a nearby Catholic school and has lived in Gaza for about a decade.
The calls offer some hope and comfort to the tight-knit community. Many of those in the parish lost their homes in Israeli strikes that began on October 7 after Hamas militants attacked Israeli settlements near the border taking hostages and killing about 1,400 people.
Bombings by the Israeli forces have killed more than 3,800 people and injured about 12,500.
Supplies are running low
There are about 100 children among those staying in the church. Some members of the congregation have lost their homes and belongings since the war started and have taken shelter in the church.
They sleep and eat within the church compound.
Mass is celebrated twice a day and candlelight prayers are held in the evening when the power supply fails. On Sunday, a baptism ceremony was conducted for children.
“The situation is very difficult and every day becomes more difficult with the bombardment because we don’t have electricity and water,” Sister Saleh said.
“But we make an effort to give food and water to all the people who live here with us in the church.
“We too have left our school and are in the Holy Family Church.”
Sister Saleh said the daily prayers give courage to the congregation and the children distressed by the nearby strikes.
“We need everything (supplies) but we have to manage,” she said.
“We don’t know what will happen next but we have faith in God.
“We give people support when we pray – it’s important because the children cry with the bombarding.”
In his weekly address at St Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Pope Francis urged for “everything possible to be done to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe”.
“The number of victims is growing and the situation in Gaza is desperate,” he said.
“Lay down weapons and heed the cries for peace from the poor, the people and the innocent children.”
'Will not move out of church'
In Gaza, a community of about 1,000 Christians have taken shelter in the Roman Catholic church and a nearby Greek Orthodox church.
George Anton, a manager with Caritas, a Catholic humanitarian organisation, said the scale of the bombing was frightening.
Israel has asked people in northern Gaza to evacuate for their own safety, but parishioners said they would not leave the church compound.
“We will not move out of our church,” said Mr Anton who has lived in Gaza since 1995.
“This is our decision. We will remain in our church.
“We are safe in the church for the time being.
“But we don’t know what will happen in like five minutes.
“From our experience of previous wars, we knew this time would be very heavy.”
Like others, he moved with his wife and three children to the compound of the church as soon as hostilities escalated.
His neighbourhood, 10 minutes from the church, has been destroyed by Israeli strikes.
“We have seen destruction and war before but not like this,” he said.
“No place is safe on the Gaza Strip.
“Our neighbourhoods were wiped out totally.
“It is terrifying, especially for the children.
“We can only tell our children to remain strong and we will pray for this war to end.”
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
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