Suhail Abo Dawood, a young Catholic student from Gaza seriously wounded in the Israeli attack on the Holy Family parish on Thursday, tells Vatican media that his condition is improving. “Love”, says the young man, who writes a column for the Holy See’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, “is stronger than war”.

By Roberto Cetera – Ashdod

Suhail greets us with a broad smile and much surprise, although Fr Romanelli in Gaza had already warned his mother Randa that we were coming.

“We had said many times in these months that we would soon meet in Rome or in Gaza, when peace comes. But I never thought we would finally meet in this hospital in Ashdot, Israel.”

The young student from Gaza, who was seriously wounded in the Israeli attack on the Holy Family parish on Thursday morning, had been transported to the Israeli hospital that night, as it was impossible to give him proper care inside the Strip.

His face is in pain but full of hope. His condition has improved after all the shrapnel that had wounded him, including damaging his internal organs, was removed.

“Peace will return to Gaza. Because, as I wrote in my last article you published: Love is stronger than war”, he says. With some difficulty, we manage to weave a conversation in which he also speaks about his future hopes, his desires, the articles he has in mind for the future, and above all the journey of faith he has undertaken and the discernment he is making – and which we will publish in Monday’s edition of L’Osservatore Romano.