THE PATRIARCHATE OF JERUSALEM CONDEMNS ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES TARGETING HUMANITARIAN INSTITUTIONS IN GAZA

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its strongest condemnation of the Israeli airstrike that has struck its church compound in Gaza.

The Orthodox Patriarchate emphasizes that targeting churches and their institutions and the shelters, they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli airstrikes on residential areas over the past thirteen days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored.

Despite the evident targeting of the facilities and shelters of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and other churches – including the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem Hospital, other schools, and social institutions – the Patriarchate, along with the other churches, remains committed to fulfilling its religious and moral duty in providing assistance, support, and refuge to those in need, amidst continuous Israeli demands to evacuate these institutions of civilians and the pressures exerted on the churches in this regard.

The Patriarchate stresses that it will not abandon its religious and humanitarian duty, rooted in its Christian values, to provide all necessary in times of war and peace.