Gaza city: A Palestinian church committee has called on all churches worldwide to urgently intervene to protect humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, warning that recent Israeli restrictions threaten the core of humanitarian and church missions. The appeal followed the Israeli government's decision to cancel the registrations of dozens of international organizations and to require them to end their activities by March, citing their refusal to submit employee lists and to comply with new security registration procedures.
According to Anadolu Agency - English, Ramzi Khoury, who heads the Palestinian Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs, described the Israeli move as a 'highly dangerous development.' He emphasized that it affects the core of human values and the Church's mission and represents a systematic targeting of international non-governmental organizations operating in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem. He conveyed this message to churches worldwide through the official news agency Wafa.
Khoury elaborated that the situation in Gaza transcends mere restrictions on humanitarian work and has become a systematic attempt to criminalize relief efforts and incapacitate essential institutions. These organizations are crucial for providing the bare minimum of life necessities amid siege, war, and total collapse. Khoury stressed that silence in response to Israeli restrictions cannot be seen as neutrality. He warned that it would be interpreted as moral abandonment, highlighting that preventing humanitarian work and criminalizing relief at a time when there is a documented need for hundreds of aid trucks daily constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and contradicts Christian teachings that prioritize human dignity.
He urged churches worldwide to adopt a clear ecclesiastical stance against targeting and banning international nongovernmental organizations. He called for moral and international pressure to be exerted to open crossings and ensure the entry of aid in necessary quantities on humanitarian grounds. Khoury appealed for concrete actions that translate faith into action to stand with Gaza.
Palestinian and international groups have cautioned that revoking the licenses will exacerbate civilian suffering in Gaza, where Israel has been engaged in a brutal conflict since October 2023. The Israeli army has reportedly killed more than 71,400 people and injured over 171,000 others in an assault that has left the region in ruins. The United Nations has estimated the reconstruction costs at approximately $70 billion.
Israel has imposed restrictions on the entry of food, medicine, medical supplies, and shelter materials into Gaza, where about 1.5 million people are displaced out of a population of roughly 2.4 million. The region has endured a blockade for more than 18 years.