{"id":16431,"date":"2025-06-16T13:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T17:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/?p=16431"},"modified":"2025-07-16T13:29:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T17:29:43","slug":"cnewa-appeal-gazans-desperate-for-bread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/cnewa-appeal-gazans-desperate-for-bread\/","title":{"rendered":"CNEWA Appeal: Gazans Desperate for Bread"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CNEWA-Pontifical Mission\u2019s regional director in Jerusalem has issued an urgent appeal for donations to help provide flour to 500 families in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph A. Hazboun said the agency would work with the Near East Council of Churches to secure the flour, which will be distributed through the local churches in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe need could not be more dire,\u201d Mr. Hazboun reported on 13 June. \u201cMakeshift distribution centers have become perilous; tragically, some Gazans have paid for flour with their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 16 June report<\/a> from the World Food Program and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization noted that, \u201cin the Gaza Strip, the risk of famine is becoming increasingly likely due to the protracted and large-scale military operations and the fact that humanitarian agencies are unable to provide adequate assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Varghese, CNEWA\u2019s director of programs, said food insecurity remains high: \u201cThere are no stores, no bakeries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A displaced Palestinian woman makes bread at a temporary shelter in Gaza City, on 15 April. (photo: Rizek Abdeljawad\/Xinhua\/Alamy Live News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, meager meals are still being prepared and distributed from Gaza\u2019s Holy Family Catholic and St. Porphyrios Greek Orthodox churches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour support today will save lives,\u201d Mr. Hazboun said in his appeal. \u201cWith starvation gripping Gaza, every loaf of bread, every sack of flour, becomes a lifeline. We beg you to stand with us in this critical moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Hazboun said that, because of the generosity of CNEWA and the tireless efforts of the Near East Council of Churches in Gaza, \u201cwe recently delivered 10-kg parcels of fresh vegetables to 375 families in Gaza City \u2014 proof that solidarity can still pierce through despair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Hazboun issued his appeal as news broke of Israel\u2019s attack on Iran. The situation has since escalated with the deaths of 15 Palestinians near a food distribution center on 14 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a papal agency dedicated to relief and development, our mission in these dark times is clear: While we pray unceasingly for peace, we must also act to help innocent civilians survive the unimaginable,\u201d he said. \u201cToday, that means ensuring families in Gaza can share something as basic as bread \u2014 a small but vital comfort amid relentless suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n