Ms. Lubna Khoury places a verse from the Bible about the divine protection that the Lord provides to his children on her digital pages. The verse says, “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not be afraid.’” “I will help you.”

In an exclusive interview with Milhilard.org, Lubna says that the situation in Upper Galilee is not easy, but she is happy that the Lord intervened and protected the soul of Mr. Hanna Al-Nasser, one of the original residents of the village of Iqrit. Hanna Naser was injured while he was under the shed of the village church, which is the only remaining building in this Christian village.

Its residents were forced to emigrate since the winter of 1948, with the promise of returning after two weeks, but return is still prohibited.

According to what the injured person’s relatives said, he is fine after undergoing surgery at Nahariya Hospital, where he sustained injuries to his head and neck, apparently as a result of a pergola falling on his head. As a result of a missile being launched from the Lebanese side, which is more than three kilometers away from the village.
Retired journalist Nayef Khoury tells Milhilard.org that for years, Hanna Nasser has been visiting the church and sitting for hours under the pergola. Not a single bullet was fired at the church, but this time an anti-tank missile was fired, but thank God Abu Nasser survived and was transferred for treatment, where his health condition is now stable.”
Iqrit and Kufr Bir’im are two Christian villages in northern Palestine, close to the border with Lebanon. In the winter of 1948, six months after the establishment of the State of Israel, the Israeli army asked the residents of the two villages to evacuate due to military incidents with militants from Lebanon. Khoury says that the residents of the two villages were convinced that their absence would not last more than two weeks. “Until now we have not been allowed to return,” says Nayef Khoury, born in 1950.

After a legal struggle, the residents obtained a decision from the Israeli High Court of Justice to allow them to return, but on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1951.
when Nayef was an infant, without warning, the Israeli army blew up the homes of the two villages, leaving only two churches in each of them. “

Since then, we visit the church to bury our dead and hold weddings, baptisms, and monthly masses, but the most important activity we do on December 25 is not to celebrate Christmas, but rather to commemorate the demolition of our village.”
Since October 7, the Israeli army has prevented any activity in the village due to the sensitive situation with Lebanon
Except for burials, but on the condition that attendance is limited to the immediate family only.”

Hanna Nasser used to visit the church every week, even since October 7th. At first, Nayef says, there was a military checkpoint, but after a while, the soldiers became aware of Abu Nasser and allowed him to enter, as happened on Tuesday. “We did not perform the anniversary prayer this year due to the war situation with Lebanon, but Hanna Nasser insisted on being in the country.
We were not afraid that he would be harmed, because not a single bullet had been fired at the church, despite many clashes and wars with Lebanon. But we do not know what was the reason for the missile that was fired at the vicinity of the church. “

The missile hit the shed, which fell on Abu Nasser’s head, causing wounds that were treated in the hospital. I asked journalist Naif: Did sirens sound, as is the custom in Jewish cities and villages? He answered in the negative, “No siren was sounded because there is no one residing in the village, and Abu Nasser came by chance as he used to to the village.” The rest of the neighboring Jewish villages and kibbutzim have been evacuated of their residents since the beginning of the war, says Khoury. Some observers say that the missile may have been launched by mistake. “It is possible by mistake, it is possible, it is possible,” says Nayef Khoury.

But the question remains: If the missile was mistakenly fired at a Palestinian Christian village devoid of residents, why has Hezbollah not yet apologized? Was the goal of the missile to bring attention to the village whose residents were long displaced and denied the promise of return, which remained unfulfilled for 75 years? This may be important in convincing the world that Israel’s goal of pressuring Palestinians of Gaza to transfer them to Sinai is similar to Israel’s promises to the villages of Iqrith and Kufr Bir’im that were not fulfilled. 75 years ago.
Khoury follows up on this, saying: “Throughout the years, we have been an example of demanding the return to Iqrit and Kufr Bir’em, and we followed peaceful struggle steps in all their forms, such as demonstrations, sit-ins, hunger strikes, and others. It never occurred to anyone that we would be exposed or targeted by any party, but we are aware of the circumstances.” “The war and the developments and injuries it brings, and here we have encountered something unexpected.”