The Higher Presidential Committee for Churches in Palestine strongly condemns the prevailing silence of the international community regarding the crime of genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli occupying forces stormed and bulldozed parts of Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza, burying alive and killing dozens of patients and injured displaced Palestinians. Israeli airstrikes hit the YMCA headquarters, which is sheltering displaced Palestinians, resulting in numerous casualties. Israeli snipers entered the compound of the Holy Family Catholic Church, shooting at anyone leaving the Church and murdering a Christian woman Nahida Anton, and her daughter Samar Anton. Israeli tanks targeted the Covenant of the Sisters of Mother Theresa (Missionaries of Charity). The Covenant is home to over 54 disabled persons and is part of the Church compound. The building’s generator, the only source of electricity, and the fuel resources were destroyed, rendering the Covenant uninhabitable, leaving the disabled without a home and access to life-saving respirators.
Member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Higher Presidential for Churches Affairs in Palestinian Dr. Ramzi Khouri has emphasized in a statement that the ongoing genocide persists due to the hindrance of a UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire, and the reluctance of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to fulfill its mandate in holding Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people.
The Committee asserts that Israel indiscriminately targets everything in the Gaza Strip, including churches and their affiliated social institutions. It highlights the continuous targeting of Al Ahli Baptist Hospital, the last remaining hospital in north Gaza, which is currently under siege, along with the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Churches in Al Zaytoun neighborhood.
The Committee emphasizes that Israel’s actions constitute a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions and the principles of international law, which prohibit and criminalize targeting places of shelter and hospitals.
The Committee calls upon world Churches to exert pressure on their respective governments to push for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. These crimes coupled with the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem, compel the entire world, especially the United Nations, to take decisive actions against Israeli violations of international law and to hold Israeli war criminals accountable.
