Pope Francis reiterated his appeal for an end to the conflict in Gaza last Sunday.
“Each day I carry in my heart with pain the suffering of the populations in Palestine and Israel due to the ongoing hostilities, thousands of dead, injured, displaced," he said during his Angelus address.
“Enough, please. Let us all say: Enough, please!” and he repeated: “Stop the war!”
The Pope appealed for all parties to continue negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza and throughout the region, “so that the hostages may be freed and return to their anxiously awaiting loved ones, and so that the civilian population may have safe access to necessary and urgent humanitarian aid”.
There are still 130 Israeli hostages held by Hamas, though more than 30 of them are feared dead. The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza has surpassed 30,000 with thousands more missing, according the Hamas-run health ministry.
Over 1.3 million people have been displaced and are facing a humanitarian crisis. Two-thirds of them are women and children.
The Pope’s appeal came days after Church leaders in Jerusalem condemned an attack by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on crowds queuing for food aid on 29 February, which killed more than 100 Gazans.
The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement the next day condemning “this wanton attack against innocent civilians”.
It called “for the warring parties to reach an immediate and lengthy ceasefire that allows for the speedy disbursement of relief supplies throughout the Gaza Strip, and for the enactment of a negotiated release of those held as captives and prisoners”.
The Church leaders offered prayers of support to the more than 800 Christians who have been sheltering in St Porphyrios and Holy Family Churches in Gaza City for nearly five months and “to the intrepid staff and volunteers of the Anglican-run Ali Hospital, and to the patients they serve”.
The general secretary of World Council of Churches, Dr Jerry Pillay, voiced his solidarity with Jerusalem’s Church leaders. Pillay affirmed the importance of establishing a permanent ceasefire, and the role of religions in reaching a just and sustainable peace.
“We extend to you our compassion and prayers for ending the war, and for respect for human lives and rights,” he said. “We urge an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of just peace, safety, and security in both Palestine and Israel.”
Last week Pax Christi International backed a call on 29 February from non-governmental organisations in the Holy Land for the EU and its member states to maintain support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Agencies including ActionAid International, Save the Children, Oxfam and War Child Alliance said they were “deeply concerned about the current and potential future suspension of funding”.
They warned that “the suspension of funding by donor states to the main aid provider for millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region, at a time where famine is looming and disease outbreaks are worsening, will impact life-saving assistance for over two million civilians, half of whom are children, who rely on UNRWA aid in Gaza.”
The agencies said it is important to ensure a thorough investigation into allegations by the Israeli authorities that 12 UNRWA employees participated in the attacks on 7 October, with full transparency and accountability. “But the investigation and any subsequent accountability measures must not derail the critical, life-saving work of UNRWA in Gaza and throughout the region.”
They described UNRWA as “a critical lifeline for millions of Palestinians”, with over one million displaced Palestinians sheltering in UNRWA facilities across Gaza. Its 13,000 staff in Gaza “far outstrip the collective capacity of the rest of the humanitarian sector in the territory”.
On 4 March, the Gaza Christian Institutions circulated a report on conditions in the Gaza Strip.
It said around 560 Christians – including 140 children and 84 people over the age of 65 – are at the Holy Family Church in Gaza. The parish provides food, water, and other basic items where needed. The Greek Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius is providing water and meals, along with washing facilities.
The Caritas Medical Centre in Gaza has been forced to transfer its supplies and equipment to establish basic clinics at both the Holy Family and the St Porphyrius church compounds. After the Rosary Sisters School was destroyed by IDF strikes in November 2023, two sisters continued to teach children in Holy Family parish, who have now missed almost half a year of schooling.
The Near East Council of Churches runs Mother and Child clinics in Gaza, but Rafah is the only one functioning and has very limited resources. It offers primary health care, dental care, medical laboratory services, pharmacy, mother and child health support, psychosocial support and the provision of essential medicines and hygiene kits. It has been able to reach 8,654 children and adults since the start of the war.
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