On one of my visits to Israel this year I met “Gushie” a budgie that was re-homed on August 13th 2005 along with many animals and pets because their owners had given up their homes in Gaza to the Palestinian Arabs in exchange for peace. I stayed in one of the many hotels that these families were evacuated to. Hotels don’t cater for pets and their cramped conditions meant that these families couldn’t even take with them many of their possessions never mind their pets. Despite this promise of peace for the 8000 people who gave up their homes families and businesses thousands of rockets and mortars have been fired into Israeli communities that live on land that has never been disputed. Many innocent people have been killed and injured as a result and people from these communities have left to live in places that are out of range of the rockets.
Currently there is a ceasefire but still rockets are being fired from Gaza. On 15th September one of the four rockets fired from northern Gaza exploded in the Israeli city of Sderot. The other three rockets failed to reach any of their intended targets.
On 21st September a missile was fired at Sderot by Palestinian Arab terrorists in Gaza, which landed in an open area inside the city, causing a fire to break out. A man, a woman and a child went into shock and were taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon as a result of the explosion.
On Thursday 18th September a bomb was detonated against an IDF force patrolling close to the border fence in Gaza. None of the soldiers on patrol near Gaza were injured, but damage was caused to the fence.
Israel has continued to send aid in the form of fuel and food to the Palestinian people of Gaza despite all this.    
Today Christians for Zion have responded to an urgent request to send financial aid to 70 of the families from Gush Katif who are still struggling to survive. If you can please help these families by making a donation through “Christian Friends of Israeli Communities” via their Web site at http://www.cfoic.com/