Father Pierre El Raii was the Maronite parish priest of Qlayaa, a Christian village just a few kilometers from the border with Israel. For AVSI he was much more than this: he was a friend, a point of reference, someone with whom we shared years of work and life alongside local communities, in this land, wounded yet full of dignity and hope.
On March 9, Father Pierre El Raii was killed by one of the Israeli bombs that have been devastating the south of the country in recent days, while he was assisting the wounded.
Marco Perini, AVSI’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, and all colleagues working in the country remember him with deep gratitude.
Father Pierre had a practical outlook on reality and a simple, direct way of addressing problems: together, starting from people’s needs. This is how, for example, a project was born that enabled some of the mothers of children supported through distance support programs to put into practice what they had learned in training courses on food processing and preservation. AVSI purchased an industrial kitchen, and the parish provided the space to install it. From there, a small catering activity managed by the women of the village was created; on several occasions they also offered free meals to Syrian refugees.
Together with Father Pierre, AVSI went through difficult moments and built concrete signs of hope. Among them is the Fadaii, which over the years has become a place of encounter, support, and opportunity for many families.
After October 7, 2023, when the escalation of the conflict forced the temporary closure of Fadaii, the parish priest of Qlayaa reassured the AVSI team with a WhatsApp message: “Don’t worry, Fadaii is in good hands — we will protect it.”
His faith and courage were contagious. He often repeated to his parishioners: “Be’yin, be’yin, be’yin” — “We stay, we stay, we stay.” It was his way of encouraging everyone not to abandon their land, even when conditions became harsh and food was scarce.
Every time an AVSI aid truck reached his village, his message of thanks would arrive promptly. And when, on March 1, the war once again struck southern Lebanon with violence, he was still there, beside his people. Once again he had repeated: “We stay.”
We will miss his friendship, his simple and strong faith, and his embraces.
AVSI will honor his memory by continuing to act as he always did: remaining alongside his people and supporting the families who have lost everything.