The volatile situation in Gaza continues to cause widespread destruction and loss of life and dignity despite the trickle of humanitarian aid now being distributed.
In recent days, churches and humanitarian organisations have been sharing statements calling for peace and stability in the region.
Read statements made by Anglican churches
The Church of England recently shared a statement from the House of Bishops which condemned “war in all its forms.”
Parts of the statement said, “We have watched with horror and outrage as siege and starvation are used as a weapon of war in Gaza, and as hospitals and health facilities have been systemically targeted. Over the last three months, the Israeli government’s deliberate denial of food and medical aid to an entire civilian population is an atrocity that defies our common humanity. It is the very definition of collective punishment and has no moral justification.
“As Bishops we are compelled to state clearly and unequivocally that the death, suffering and destruction being inflicted on Gaza is a grave sin that violently assaults God-given human dignity and the very integrity of God’s creation.
“We call on all sides to end the war. We call on relevant UN bodies to be allowed to administer all necessary aid in line with long standing humanitarian principles. We call for the immediate release of all hostages without condition. The continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the appalling levels of settler violence, and the forced displacements and house demolitions must cease.”
In a statement from Church of Ireland, the archbishops the Most Revd John McDowell and the Most Revd Michael Jackson, stated “It is with outrage that we watch the desperation, dislocation, and defenceless resident population of Gaza who feel they have been abandoned by the world.”
The statement went on to applaud the hospitals in the middle of the “living wasteland” calling them “beacons of hope” and called for an immediate ceasefire and release of all hostages. “We acknowledge that many feel hopeless and powerless to change what is happening in Gaza. We pray that all those in positions of power globally will stand up and demand an end to this cruelty and seek the reinstitution of international law.”
The Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town and Primate of Southern Africa recently released a statement condemning the Israeli administration of its “refusal to allow life-giving supplies under conditions acceptable to experts in providing humanitarian aid suggests a willingness to use starvation as a tool of ethnic cleansing,” which would amount to “a war crime”. Archbishop Thabo reflected “that the only tool we have is to speak out and pray that the whole world will push back.”
Churches in Switzerland, including many Anglican/Episcopal groups have drafted a joint letter expressing their “continued dismay at the horrors unfolding in Gaza, the West Bank and other territories in the Holy Land.”
The letter condemns both the horrific attacks of 7th October by Hamas and the State of Israel’s reaction to it. It states that, “The destruction of people, livelihoods, homes, food supplies, jobs, medical facilities and the continued restrictions on access of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, suffering so much, is unacceptable”, and emphasises that “well over 50% of the dead are non-combatant women and children.”
The letter calls for the release of all hostages by Hamas without harm immediately and encourages the Missions of the UN’s member states to “redouble efforts for peace”.
Exerpts from the letter, along with statements gathered from Nordic Churches were featured by the World Council of Churches. Read more here.
The Revd Prof Dr Jerry Pilay, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches recently shared a message urging, churches and Christian communities worldwide to raise their voices in defence of justice, to advocate for the protection of Palestinian lives and rights, and to press their governments to reject any proposal that facilitates ethnic cleansing and permanent occupation. We affirm that peace cannot be built on the dispossession and suffering of an entire people but must be rooted in justice, dignity, and the fundamental rights of all.”
Statements from other traditions
A joint plea from the churches of Jerusalem, stated “As Christians, we cannot be indifferent to such suffering, the Gospel commands us to uphold the dignity of every human being. The words of our Lord remind us: Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed (Isaiah 10:1-2 NIV).”
The recently inaugurated Pope Leo XIV was quick to appeal for the ”entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, whose heartbreaking price is paid by the children, elderly, and the sick.”
Statements from the United Nations
The United Nations has reported that “As of April 2025, more than 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip’s total cropland area has been damaged (12,537 hectares out of 15,053) and 77.8 per cent is not accessible to farmers”. This leaves less than five percent of the Strip’s cropland.
A spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently stated that “a week after life-saving aid was finally allowed into Gaza again, the scale of that aid is painfully inadequate.[…] It looks like a token that appears more like cynical optics than any real attempt to tackle the soaring hunger crisis among children and civilians in Gaza.”
Rebuilding with rubble
Also facing significan challenges, staff from the Anglican-run Al Ahli hospital in Gaza are reportedly using material from the rubble of nearby bombed buildings to reconstruct their treatment centre. Within days of the Palm Sunday attack on the hospital which led to the evacuation of patients and staff and caused significant damage to the hospital’s infrastructure, Al Ahli staff had restarted all but their long-term trauma support services and were beginning to repair the structural damage to the hospital. Israel currently still restricts building materials entering the Gaza Strip because of concern that they will be used for violence by Hamas. Al Ahli staff say they are using the resources at hand: mainly rubble.
Al Ahli has been one of the only functioning healthcare centres for many months now, serving the 2 million people of Gaza. It has overcome five similar rocket attacks since October 7 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostage. When Israeli military activity displaced doctors from Al Ahli, they started a clinic in Rafah, where they were seeing refuge.
At the time of the attack on the hospital, the Most Revd Hosam Naoum, President Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, and Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, circulated a statement which condemned “in the strongest terms” the Palm Sunday bombing and called “upon all governments and people of goodwill to intervene to stop attacks on medical and humanitarian institutions.”
As with all healthcare facilities in the strip, Al Ahli is entirely overwhelmed by the need among Palestinians. Canon Don Binder, Chaplain to the Archbishop of Jerusalem recently shared that “As a result [of the Palm Sunday attack] the number of daily surgeries that could be performed dropped from an average of 24 down to 5. It was a massive 80% decrease, leading to the loss of life for many severely wounded victims.
“However, thanks to the grit of our enterprising hospital staff, a tent has now replaced the destroyed ward, and damaged equipment has been replaced or repaired. As a result, the number of daily surgeries has risen back to its pre-attack levels.
“Of course, we long for the time when military assaults against innocent civilians will cease and there will be no need for this number of life-saving operations to be performed. We hope that day will come very soon.”
The Diocese of Jerusalem
As a part of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, one of the primary ministries of the is to provide healthcare and education to those in need in Gaza regardless of race, religion or ability to pay. One of those ministries is the running and maintenance of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, the last remaining fully functioning hospital on the North Gaza Strip which has been bombed five times since the beginning of the conflict, the last of which was on Palm Sunday.
Appeals for healthcare and humanitarian initiatives in Gaza – wider support
The (ABM) is running an appeal for donations specifically for the humanitarian response work of the Diocese of Jerusalem in Gaza and the West Bank. (previously the Primates World Relief and Development Fund) is also engaging an appeal specifically to equip the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, as is . is also seeking donations for assisting healthcare partners and those displaced to Lebanon.