KAIROS – Missiles demolished a church-run health clinic near downtown Gaza City in January.
The clinic was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, a social justice organization supported by the Presbyterian Church. It was the only KAIROS-funded clinic in Gaza.
A telephone call gave clinic staff a 15-minute warning before missiles hit the building. No one was hurt, but valuable medical equipment was destroyed.
According to Dale Hildebrand, team leader of KAIROS's global partnerships program, there was no indication of military activity in the vicinity of the clinic, and no reason for it to be targeted.
Over the past 10 years, CIDA and KAIROS have given $300,000 to the Near East Council of Churches, the Palestinian partner that runs the clinic. Days after the attack, KAIROS sent a letter to Lawrence Cannon, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, spurring him to request financial compensation from the Israeli government.
Hildebrand says KAIROS hope to rebuild, but need lasting peace for their efforts to make a difference.
