Jerusalem churches ‘rejoice’ at Gaza ceasefire

‘Your perseverance in faith amid the immeasurable hardships of the past two years has served as a shining example for us all,’ Church leaders told the Christian communities in Gaza.

Church leaders in the Holy Land “rejoice at the recent enactment of the ceasefire in Gaza”, they said, in an appeal for sustained humanitarian support.

The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement “on the declaration on the end of the war in Gaza” on Tuesday, recognising “the enormous efforts of all those in the international community who worked relentlessly to accomplish this major achievement”.

“We are especially encouraged by the commitment demonstrated by the participants of the Sharm El Sheikh Summit marking the commencement of this agreement, and by many other international actors,” they said, “and we hope that this impressive global mobilisation will soon materialise into a wide-scale humanitarian operation that offers immediate relief to the Palestinians of Gaza and to other communities in our region that continue to suffer displacement, death, injuries, hunger, and loss of livelihood.”

They called for deliveries of materials for temporary shelters and medical facilities ahead of an “exhaustive programme for the massive clearing and rebuilding of destroyed homes, businesses, and civilian infrastructure”.

Alongside this, the Church leaders voiced concern at continued violence in the West Bank and its exclusion from the peace negotiations. They said these should advance the establishment of a Palestinian state including the West Bank and Gaza to live “side-by-side in peace with the present State of Israel”.

“Only in this way, we believe, will a just and lasting peace be truly established in the Holy Land and throughout the larger Middle East.”

The statement also addressed the surviving Christian institutions and those sheltering there: the St Porphyrios Orthodox Church, the Holy Family Catholic Church and the Al-Ahli Anglican Hospital.

“Your perseverance in faith amid the immeasurable hardships of the past two years has served as a shining example for us all,” the Church leaders said. “We pledge to you our continued prayers and support, where we will work diligently to ensure that the weeks and months ahead will be a vindication of your trust in God’s divine providence.”

Fr Gabriel Romanelli IVE, the parish priest of the Holy Family Church, said the community there learned of the ceasefire “with quiet hope” as the first steps of the peace agreement came into effect last weekend.

Speaking at a Mass on Sunday, he expressed gratitude to God and “to everyone who prayed for them, and to everyone who offered a word of encouragement and solidarity during the bitter days of war”. He thanked “those who endured”, adding that “from you we learn that faith is invincible, and hope is not put out”.

Fr Romanelli warned that “the aftermath will be horrific and we hope that the world also does not forget the population of over two million people living here”.

The Office of Papal Charities delivered 5,000 doses of antibiotics to Gaza as the first aid deliveries entered the territory after the ceasefire. Caritas Jerusalem distributed 10,000 cans of infant formula to mothers across the territory.

Aid supplies were limited early in the week after Israel said it would shut the Rafah crossing from Egypt because Hamas failed to return hostages’ bodies as required under the agreement. Hamas deployed fighters to police parts of Gaza, while in the north of the territory Israeli forces fired on Palestinians who approached them.

Nevertheless, Palestinians continued to return to their homes across Gaza. The Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre said: “This is resurrection and the power of life coming out of the grave. Gaza insists to be an empty tomb and a place of miracles and life.”

Munther Isaac, a Palestinian pastor based in the West Bank, said that on 9 October rains fell in Ramallah – “the first in a long time” – coinciding with the declaration of the end of what he called “the genocide war”. He prayed: “May both be signs from heaven – that life will return to the land, that the cries will turn to songs, and that justice will finally prevail.”

At an audience with the Pope on Tuesday, King Abdullah II of Jordan emphasised the importance of implementing the full peace agreement in Gaza and advancing the cause of a two-state solution. He also affirmed the Jordanian government’s commitment to caring for Christian sites across the Holy Land, and invited Pope Leo to visit the site of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan.

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