News and Views 29th April 2026

Gaza

• Gazan children routinely raped by Hamas-affiliated clerics. Shocking revelations bravely published by Arab news outlet Jusoor News reveals that children in Gaza are being raped and then blackmailed into joining Hamas or having their sexual abuse made public. The father of a boy who was raped in a Mosque in Khan Younes said his son was bleeding and had bruises all over his body. He went to the mosque to confront the paedophile, but the Imam threatened him, saying: 'I'll send Al-Qassam Brigades to you and they'll shoot you. We'll say you were an Israeli collaborator.' 'They have no morals,' said the father in disbelief, 'I still don't know what to do.' 'There isn't a single Hamas-run mosque they haven't ruined from top to bottom’, another said. ‘And not just … sexual immorality – every kind of awfulness has happened.’  Similar obscene tactics are said to be used in Hamas-run charities and welfare organisations.
• Rape used to coerce Gazans to remain submissive to Hamas. This type of abuse is so rife amongst Hamas run institutions that there is actually a special term for it in Arabic. Orphaned children and unmarried women are particularly subjected to exploitation. Rape is used as a tactic to coerce young boys and their families to remain 'obedient and submissive' to Hamas - instilling fear and pressurising them into joining the terrorist group later. A Jusoor spokesman said their journalists are constantly subjected to harassment and pressure by Hamas because of this type of coverage.

Israel

• Jewish settlers celebrate Independence Day. Meanwhile, to celebrate Independence Day, about 200 Israelis gathered in a secluded, verdant part in the hills north of Jericho in Judea (considered part of the 'West Bank'). The settlers have been emboldened since the Oct 7 massacre by Hamas in 2023, while the prospect of a general election in Israel before the end of October has lent added urgency. The group are well aware of the biblical importance of the area, Jericho being the first city of the Holy Land that the Jews conquered after emerging from the wilderness on their long flight from Egypt. “The Arabs knew we would come back one day,” said one. “It’s our land and now we’re back….. We don’t have a problem with private Arabs,” she added. “But we do have a problem with Arabs who want to kill and rape us.” The group deny any instances of settler violence. Yet a number of leading Israeli officials, including Gen Eyal Zamir, the IDF’s chief of staff, have recently condemned growing reports of settler violence as “morally and ethically unacceptable”.

Church Matters

• Miracles are a reality experienced by nearly half of Americans. A new poll by the American Bible Society has found that 48% of Americans (75% of evangelicals) say they have received a miraculous answer to prayer, while 35% say they have experienced or witnessed a divine healing. Even among those who don’t identify with any religion, 15% say they have experienced a miraculous answer to prayer. This confirms previous surveys, such as a 2015 Barna Group survey, which found that 51% of Americans believe the miracles of the Bible happened as described – while 67% say miracles are still possible today. 
• Ongoing Bible reading truly is life-transforming. Meanwhile, research by the Centre for Bible Engagement shows that reading the Bible four or more times per week produces dramatic spiritual, emotional and physical transformation. While reading the Bible 1-3 times a week shows negligible change, the threshold of four days seems to act as a tipping point — reducing the grip of sin and bondage in measurable ways, with 59% less likely to view pornography, 30% less likely to struggle with loneliness, 32% reduced anger, and 40% less bitterness in relationships.

Quiet Revival

• American youth undeniably interested in faith. Despite the recent retraction of a British Bible Society report on a supposed ‘quiet revival’, many are aware of a definite uptick in interest in the Christian faith in the UK. Church groups in the US remain even more confident regarding evidence in their nation, claiming that while young people remain deeply wary of large institutions, they are undeniably interested in faith and spirituality. "The front door of the church has moved", one said. A massive Religious Landscape Study by Pew found that while less than half of young adults identify as Christian, a full 71% believe there is something spiritual beyond the natural world. 
• Young people must feel they belong before they can believe. Research at Future of Faith confirms this, showing that a staggering 73% of young people become more open to spiritual conversations when someone simply listens to them, yet only 16% are willing to trust large organizations. What is shifting is not belief itself but the relationship between belief and the Church as an institution. It seems that young people must feel they belong before they can believe. 67% of teenagers said that being heard was important, while only 33% said sermons were significant to their spiritual growth. 70% said they become more open to spiritual conversations after someone has listened to them. 

Religion and Literature

• God is back in literary fashion. Last year in Britain, there was a remarkable 10.5% rise in sales of books in the 'Religion' category, according to Nielsen figures. Bible sales, in particular, are climbing to record highs – up 106% since 2019.  Such is the confidence in the Christian genre that Penguin Random House recently launched its first Christian imprint, Ebury Vine - which has got off to a remarkable start: three of the four books published so far have charted in the New York Times bestsellers list.  One author noted “a shift in culture”, with "secular publishers actively seeking to publish religious books.”  Sales are said to be in large part driven by Gen Z readers seeking a deeper wisdom,  guidance and peace at a time that feels increasingly uncertain.
• Spiritual titles proving highly popular. Some of the success in books sales in spirituality is said to be due to the ongoing success of Tom Holland’s book Dominion, which argues that many of the hallmarks of Western society – including its secularism – have Christian roots. Recent popular religious non-fiction includes  Bear Grylls’s The Greatest Story Ever Told; Martin Shaw:  'Liturgies of the Wild'; while J.D Vance, 'Finding My Way Back to Faith', Russell Brand's controversial, 'How to Become a Christian in Seven Days' and  Martha Sprackland's new translation of writings by 16th-century mystic John of the Cross  are among upcoming projected bestsellers. 

Biblical Archaeology

• Mystery of Noah's Ark site deepens. There has long been speculation that a rock formation on Turkey's Mount Ararat, around 6,500 feet above sea level, first discovered in 1959, and resembling a boat – might be the authentic Noah’s Ark – especially since the formation is 515 feet long - matching the dimensions described in Genesis 6, using Egyptian cubits. The exciting finds have recently been given added weight by the discovery of a series of "corridors" running down the middle of the "boat", along with features that may resemble walls, support beams, and interior divisions. Studies done with another geophysical technique show “a ship-shaped hull still preserved deep in the soil”, while soil analysis also suggests that the rock formation is man-made. (Read also this fascinating article - 'Noah’s ark in Armenia’s religious imagination.')
• Noah’s Ark discovery ‘is not legit,’ claims Bible scholar. Yet it remains the case that previous reports of beams, ship shapes, and buried remnants for more than a century have repeatedly fallen apart under scrutiny. Just this week, Christian apologist and biblical scholar Wesley Huff argued that the recent Ark claims are based on "hobbyist speculation" and "non credible archaeology", with no one on the team being a formal archaeologist. Huff also claims their use of ground penetrating radar is unreliable due to signal attenuation in local soils, and pointed out that wood samples previously claimed to be from the Ark actually date to the 7th century AD, not the biblical era. Furthermore, the modern Mount Ararat has only been called that since the 13th century - early Christian and Jewish tradition pointed to Mount Qardu as the landing site. Huff encouraged Christians to be discerning and not embrace sensational claims that undermine the faith. Read also.

(top image - an extant mosque in Gaza c/o wikipedia. Many Gazan mosques have been destroyed or damaged in recent conflicts)