Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader has told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the Latin Patriarch  of Jerusalem and Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem have issued a joint appeal for an immediate termination of war in Gaza, and rejected the deliberate forced and mass displacement of civilians.

He added that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV had renewed his appeal to all the concerned parties and to the international community to end this conflict, which has snowballed into a wave of terror, destruction, and death. He asserted the need to ensure a safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the protection of civilians.

Fr. Bader pointed out  that the current situation is considered one of the most difficult phases that the Palestinian people have gone through, especially in Gaza Strip, as they have been enduring for two years a continuous aggression that included a forced displacement of residents, widespread home demolitions, and the killing of innocent people up to orders for mass evacuation of entire areas, which includes churches and places of worship.

He indicated that the Christian stand in Gaza Strip is inseparable from the national Palestinian position, since the Christians are an integral part of the Palestinian social fabric, despite their small numbers. He added that they have made great sacrifices, as a number of them were martyred during the ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip.

He continued that the Church of the Holy Family and the Church of Saint Porphyrius are sheltering hundreds of citizens fleeing the bombing, while emphasizing that they insist on remaining in Gaza despite the prevailing dangers. They state: "We either die together or live together." He added that the Christian refusal to comply with the evacuation order is attributed to two positions, namely a humanitarian one represented by the protection of children, the sick, the elderly, and those with special needs; and a national one represented by the adherence to the land and the holy sites,  while fearing that these places would be demolished or removed.

Fr. Bader warned that the implementation of the evacuation order poses a direct threat not only to buildings and holy sites, but rather to the Palestinian Christian presence in Gaza Strip. He also stated that this could lead to a de facto ending of the historic Christian presence in the Gaza Strip, which has remained unshakable since the first centuries of Christianity despite wars and hardships.

He stressed that targeting churches and the forcible displacement of their parishioners set a dangerous precedent that threatens religious and cultural plurality in the Gazan society. He warned that this threatens an integral component of the Palestinian fabric and jeopardizes the social and cultural plurality to which Christians have contributed for decades through schools, hospitals, and various community services.

For his part, Fr. Imad Twal, parish priest of the Latin Church in Northern Marka stated that the Church's position with regards to the events under way in Gaza Strip is humanitarian and moral before being spiritual. He stressed his rejection of war, killing, the imposed starvation of children, and the deprivation of civilians of their basic rights.

He pointed out that the Church considers itself a humanitarian haven that welcomed those in need in its schools, social institutions, and various services in cooperation with civil society organizations, most notably Caritas. He added that the daily scenes of children who lost their families, the sick, and the patients who are deprived of medical treatment place a moral responsibility on the international community regarding these disasters. He added remaining silent in this regard is tantamount to abandoning humanitarian principles.

Fr. Twal added that the Church raises its voice all the time in defence of dignity of humans regardless of their religions or affiliations. He continued that the Church in Jordan and the Holy Land continues to dispatch aid to Gaza Strip, while praying for its people as well as extending spiritual and field support. He lauded the practical and spiritual positions conveyed by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and the visits paid by His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa to Gaza, despite the bombing which provides cogent evidence of the Church's commitment to those living in pain.