In a joint statement, the Greek Orthodox and Latin patriarchates of Jerusalem call for the international community to end the war in Gaza. Reacting to preparations for an Israeli offensive into Gaza, they said clergy and nuns would remain in Gaza City’s two church compounds.
The Greek Orthodox and Latin patriarchates of Jerusalem have appealed to the international community to end the war in Gaza immediately, saying it was time to prioritize “the common good of the people.”
“There has been enough devastation, in the territories and in people’s lives,” reads the joint statement, issued 26 August. “It is now time for the healing of the long-suffering families on all sides.
“With equal urgency, we appeal to the international community to act for an end of this senseless and destructive war, and for the return of the missing people and the Israeli hostages.”
The statement protested Israel’s plans to take control of Gaza City, noting that “in recent days, the media have repeatedly reported a massive military mobilization and preparations for an imminent offensive.” On 20 August, Israel’s military disclosed plans to call up 60,000 reservists ahead of a new offensive.
“We do not know exactly what will happen on the ground, not only for our community, but for the entire population,” the patriarchates reported. “We can only repeat what we have already said: There can be no future based on captivity, displacement of Palestinians or revenge.”
The two patriarchates reiterated that “evacuation orders were already in place for several neighborhoods in Gaza City” — which they noted is home to their shared Christian community — with media reports indicating the population would be moved to southern Gaza.
The compounds of both the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrios and the Latin Catholic Parish of the Holy Family “have been a refuge for hundreds of civilians,” including “elderly people, women and children.” Holy Family also has been home to people with disabilities, under the care of the Missionary Sisters of Charity, reported the statement.
Many of those sheltering at the two compounds “are weakened and malnourished due to the hardships of the last months,” and attempting to flee to southern Gaza “would be nothing less than a death sentence,” the statement stated. “For this reason, the clergy and nuns have decided to remain and continue to care for all those who will be in the compounds.”
Both church compounds have been struck by Israeli forces — St. Porphyrius in October 2023, and Holy Family in December 2023 and in July of this year.
Referencing a threat against Hamas invoked by both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Israel Katz, the patriarchates’ statement read, “It seems that the Israeli government’s announcement that ‘the gates of hell will open’ is indeed taking on tragic forms.”
The patriarchates’ statement followed a 25 August condemnation issued by Caritas Internationalis, the official humanitarian network of the global Catholic Church, which said Gazans are being deliberately starved and “left to perish in full view of the world.”
The organization decried “the man-made famine and assault on Gaza City,” noting that 273 people, including 112 children, have already died of starvation.
“This is not war. It is the systematic destruction of civilian life,” Caritas said.
“The siege of Gaza has become a machinery of annihilation, sustained by impunity and the silence, or complicity, of powerful nations. Famine here is not a natural disaster, but the outcome of a deliberate strategy: blocking aid, bombing food convoys, destroying infrastructure, and denying basic needs.”
“Unfortunately, these attacks delivered a clear message that no one is safe in Gaza,” Joseph Hazboun, regional director for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association-Pontifical Mission’s Jerusalem office, told OSV News.
Along with attacks on the churches and other civilian sites, Hazboun also highlighted the targeting of “almost all hospitals in Gaza,” leaving “many completely destroyed or made dysfunctional.”
He also pointed to strikes on schools and the killing of journalists — the total of which has been well over 200, and with a 25 August strike that killed five, may now be as high as 278.
“These war crimes must end, the famine must end, the targeting of innocent people in an attempt to drive them to migrate must end,” Hazboun said on 26 August. “I can’t imagine how the future generations will judge this horrendous war. This is barbarism in plain sight.”