Palestinian church committee calls on churches worldwide to protect aid work in Gaza

Palestinian church committee calls on churches worldwide to protect aid work in Gaza
————————
A Palestinian church committee has urged 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.

According to Anadolu Agency, 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.

Palestinian and international groups have warned that revoking the licenses will worsen civilian suffering in Gaza, where Israel has been waging a brutal war since October 2023.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,400 people and injured over 171,000 others in the assault that has left the enclave in ruins. The United Nations has estimated reconstruction costs at roughly $70 billion.

Israel has restricted 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 and have lived under blockade for more than 18 years.

The restrictions violate a ceasefire agreement that took effect last October.