The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine stated that the Palestinian people, particularly those in Gaza, are ushering in the new year amidst unimaginable suffering, enduring displacement, starvation, killings, destruction, ethnic cleansing, and forced expulsion. These atrocities, inflicted by Israeli forces over the course of more than 14 months of relentless genocide, are met with deafening global silence and complicity.
In a New Year’s message issued by the head of the committee, Dr. Ramzi Khouri, member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, the committee denounced the Israeli occupation government’s systematic campaign to annihilate the Palestinian people—their women, children, elderly, men, land, and holy sites. It highlighted Israel’s targeted destruction of vital infrastructure, particularly the healthcare system, with hospitals such as Kamal Adwan, the Indonesian Hospital, Al-Wafaa, the Baptist Hospital, Al-Awda, and many others bombed and burned.
The committee emphasized that this war against hospitals is unprecedented in modern warfare. It has claimed the lives of approximately 1,068 medical personnel, seen the humiliating detention of hundreds more, rendered 34 hospitals out of service, targeted and destroyed 242 healthcare centers, obliterated 136 ambulances, and blocked access to essential medicines, medical supplies, and primary care services.
The statement further described Gaza as having been transformed into a living nightmare. The destruction of infrastructure and public facilities has culminated in nearly 10,000 massacres, resulting in the killings or disappearances of 57,000 Palestinians. Over 1,413 families have been entirely erased from civil records, 108,000 Palestinians have been maimed, and 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, confined to less than 20% of the territory under dire conditions.
The committee underscored that the actions of the Israeli occupation in Gaza and throughout the Palestinian territory set a dangerous precedent that undermines international law, ushering in a world governed by brute force. Nations that hold sway over global decisions bear direct responsibility for enabling a fascist state to commit genocide against an entire people. Rather than holding Israel accountable as a rogue state that violates international law, major powers have instead rewarded it with diplomatic protection in the UN Security Council and supplied it with the tools to continue its atrocities.
The statement lamented the international community’s failure to uphold justice, as Israel destroys hospitals, dismantles UNRWA—the lifeline for many Palestinians—and enforces a brutal blockade. Entire communities have been abandoned to die from cold, hunger, and disease in makeshift tents that have become their graves. This global indifference not only emboldens the perpetrator but also reflects complicity in the erasure of humanity, buried beneath the rubble of Gaza’s shattered homes.
The committee also highlighted that the genocide extends beyond Gaza to the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli military and settlers relentlessly seize land, displace rightful owners, and build and expand illegal settlements. Settler militias rampage through cities, villages, and refugee camps, committing heinous crimes to entrench their colonial project. Muslim and Christian holy sites are desecrated, and efforts to alter the historical, legal, and religious status of Al-Aqsa Mosque continue unabated. In occupied Jerusalem, systematic demolitions of Palestinian homes and forced expulsions aim to Judaize the city.
The committee concluded by stating that these well-documented crimes leave no room for excuses. The legal and moral responsibility now lies with the international community, its institutions, and people of conscience worldwide, including churches, to stand firmly on the side of justice. The world must act decisively to rescue the Palestinian people from Israel’s tyranny, which seeks to erase their existence and deny them the right to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. Without this, peace and security will remain elusive for all.
