Church committee urges global action to protect humanitarian work in Gaza
Shafaq News– Gaza/ Ramallah
The Palestinian Presidential Higher Committee for Church Affairs called on churches worldwide to urgently intervene to protect humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, warning that recent measures against aid organizations threaten to further deepen the crisis, according to the Palestinian News Agency WAFA.
In an official message titled “urgent appeal,” committee head, Ramzi Khouri, said the situation reflects “a dangerous escalation” targeting the foundations of humanitarian values and the moral mission of churches, represented by “the systematic targeting of international non-governmental organizations working in Gaza, the West Bank, including Jerusalem, through decisions to suspend, ban, and cancel registrations affecting 37 humanitarian institutions, including organizations with a clear Christian mission that have long served as a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of besieged civilians."
He considered what is unfolding in Gaza today is no longer merely a tightening of restrictions on humanitarian work, but a “deliberate attempt to criminalize relief itself and paralyze institutions that preserve the bare minimum of life in the face of siege, war, and total collapse,” and a violation of international humanitarian law and “a stark contradiction of Christian teachings that place human dignity at the core of their message."
Urging the churches worldwide to adopt a clear stance rejecting the targeting and banning of international non-governmental organizations, Khouri called to open crossings, almost completely blocked by Israel since October 2023, and ensure the entry of aid at levels that meet humanitarian needs.
Israel, last week, began revoking the licenses of 37 international organizations delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza under new security registration procedures, including Doctors Without Borders, which said that the fault lies with those “committing these atrocities, not with those who speak out about them.”
The enclave needs about 500–600 trucks daily to provide sufficient food, water, medicine, shelter, and fuel for Gaza's population of over 2.4 million people. Recent UN data indicate that only around 40 to 100 humanitarian aid trucks are entering daily on average.
The Gaza-run Ministry of Health recorded that more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October 2023, including over 70,900 in Gaza, with about 171,000 wounded and roughly 11,000 reported missing by the end of 2025. Gaza alone recorded more than 29,000 killed or missing during 2025, alongside widespread destruction affecting around 90% of its built environment.
