US Churches call for protection of healthcare facilities in Gaza

Source: CMEP

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) joins the Episcopal Church in their call for an end to attacks against Gaza's healthcare system. In recent days the al Ahli hospital in Gaza City, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, was hit by an Israeli strike causing further damage to the hospital which is already operating above capacity to respond to the ever-growing need for medical treatments.

Kyle Cristofalo, CMEP's Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Relations, writes: "The most recent attacks against the al Ahli and Kamal Adwan hospitals underscore the urgency with which international actors must act to press for the immediate protection of healthcare facilities, staff, and patients in Gaza. Alongside The Episcopal Church we call for an end to the current violence and for protection of the most vulnerable populations."

The full statement follows below

Episcopal Church Calls for End to Destruction of Gaza Healthcare System

"On December 29, al Ahli hospital, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, was hit by an Israeli missile. The attack caused further destruction to hospital facilities that were already operating under extremely dire conditions, with limited fuel, medicine, and medical staff caring for hundreds more patients than the hospital was designed to serve. This attack is part of a pattern of documented violence against health care facilities and medical staff in Gaza, including al Ahli, which has endured multiple evacuations, air strikes, and closures over the past 14 months.

Human rights groups and the World Health Organization have decried the systematic assault on Gaza's healthcare system, including most recently, the attack on Kamal Adwan, one of the last functional hospitals in northern Gaza. The unrelenting violence against the most vulnerable populations and those who care for them must stop.

We honor the doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, and all medical staff who risk their lives every day. We pray for God's mercy for the people of Gaza who have been repeatedly displaced and lack access to food, clean water, sanitation, and medical care.

We give thanks for the ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and for all the organizations and individuals who seek to bring God's comfort to those who are suffering. We urge Episcopalians to advocate for a ceasefire, for complete access for humanitarian aid, for the immediate release of all unjustly detained Palestinians, and for the safe return of Israeli hostages.

We pray fervently for an end to the conflict in Gaza and for peace and justice in Israel and Palestine."