Christian Retailing

Gaza Christian store hit by missile Print Email
Written by Eric Tiansay   
Thursday, 15 January 2009 12:41 PM America/New_York

Gaza Strip's only Christian bookstore was recently hit by a missile caused by the fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant organization Hamas.

The Teacher's Bookshop is a ministry of the Palestinian Bible Society (PBS) and the Gaza Baptist Church. "The missile hit the fourth floor of the building," PBS told the Christian organization Open Doors USA. "The bookshop and community center did not suffer any damage. ... No casualties or injuries were reported."

According to the United Nations, nearly a thousand Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,000 wounded since Israel's military assault began Dec. 27, the Los Angeles Times reported. A six-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip ended Dec. 19.

The bookshop has been closed since the murder of the bookstore's manager, Rami Ayyad, in October 2007, PBS said.

Gaza's 2,500 Christians, who live among 1.5 million Muslims, have increasingly been targeted by Muslim aggression since Hamas wrested control of Gaza in June 2006, according to Open Doors USA.