UK Churches demand halt to ‘futile’ Gaza offensive

Pope Leo expressed his ‘closeness to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who continue to live in fear and to survive in unacceptable conditions, displaced – once again – from their own lands’.

Israel’s offensive on Gaza City “is futile and must stop”, UK Church leaders said on Thursday.

In a statement ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on 21 September, they warned that the ground assault begun by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Tuesday “will only intensify the human suffering and misery as already malnourished and traumatised families are forced, yet again, to flee the horrors of this war”.

The 30 signatories from different Christian denominations included the Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the bishops’ conference of England and Wales, and the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell.

Welcoming the foreign secretary Yvette Cooper’s description of the offensive as “utterly reckless and appalling”, they called on the international community “to do all in its power to ensure that Israel, as the occupying power, uphold its responsibilities under international law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and to ensure the provision of food, water, medicine and other essentials to those in need”.

“We remain steadfastly against the evils that this war has unleashed and we stand firm in our belief that this is not the right way, that death and destruction will not triumph,” they said.

“Even though the consequences of this war will be long lasting, and the prospects for a just and lasting peace appear distant, we continue to have faith that a better future is possible – a peace that upholds all human dignity and that provides for the flourishing of all communities.”

The statement followed an appeal by Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday, in which he demanded respect for the “inviolable dignity” of the people of Gaza after the IDF began its offensive, making over 150 strikes.

“I express my profound closeness to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who continue to live in fear and to survive in unacceptable conditions, forcibly displaced – once again – from their own lands,” the Pope said after his general audience in St Peter’s Square.

“Before God Almighty, who commanded ‘Thou shalt not kill’, and in the sight of all of human history, every person always has an inviolable dignity, to be respected and upheld,” he said, renewing his plea for “a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a negotiated diplomatic solution, fully respecting international humanitarian law”.

“I invite you all to join in my heartfelt prayer that a dawn of peace and justice may soon arise,” the Pope said.

On Tuesday, Pope Leo spoke to the parish priest of Gaza’s Holy Family Church, who reported on its support for around 450 people sheltering in its compound. Fr Gabriel Romanelli IVE told the Pope that the parish “continues its activities, serving children and young people and providing assistance to the elderly and sick”, according to a Vatican statement.

The Pope last spoke to Fr Romanelli on 9 September after the IDF issued an evacuation order for the north of Gaza City, including the district where the church is located. Fr Romanelli said afterwards that “everywhere there is danger, but many want to remain in the city”.

Estimates for the number of people who have left Gaza City under the evacuation orders range from the UN figure of around 200,000 to the IDF’s figure of 350,000. With the previous population standing at over one million, “that is a lot of people left behind”, said Fr Carlos Ferrero IVE, the provincial superior of Institute of the Incarnate Word which serves the Holy Family parish.

Fr Ferrero, who joined Fr Romanelli when he returned to his parish in May 2024, said it was “scary and difficult” for anyone to leave the compound, and evacuation routes were subject to attacks.

“We are all scared,” Fr Ferrero told RTÉ on Wednesday. “When there is a bomb very near here, things are falling down in our compound, so we have to be careful from everywhere.”

The Latin and Orthodox patriarchates in Jerusalem announced last month that the clergy and Religious in Gaza had decided to remain there despite the evacuation orders “to care for all those who will be in the compounds”.

“There are disabled children, there are elderly people who have no idea … they know they’re suffering, but they do not understand anything else,” said Fr Ferrero, confirming that he would stay in the parish.

“Some of them have lost their mind, and some due to their age, are bedridden and others are sick,” he said. “There are also sick people who cannot move from the church freely.”

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