Weekly Action - 23 March 2024 - Gaza Ceasefire and Famine

Gaza ceasefire and famine

The tragic conflict in Gaza intensified even further this week, with the UN and World Bank warning that a famine is imminent, unless fighting stops and vast quantities of aid are allowed in. Meanwhile, the US proposed a resolution for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” at the UN for the first time on Friday 22 March. Some 11 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour, 1 abstained, but 3 voted against, blocking the resolution. This was led by Russia and China who disagreed with language in the resolution condemning Hamas, and felt a “sustained” rather than a “permanent” ceasefire left the door open for Israel to resume hostilities. Tension continues to mount as Israel plans to attack Rafah in the south of Gaza where over 1.3 million Gazan refugees are now living.

More than 32,000 Palestinians have now been killed ^[1] and over 70,000 injured ^[2] in Gaza since the conflict began, following the horrific Hamas led incursion into Israel on 7 October. Some 218 Israeli soldiers have been killed and over 1,200 injured during the same period,^[3] and more than 130 Israeli hostages remain in captivity. The conflict in Gaza has rapidly turned into one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies with widespread destruction. More than 85% of the population have fled their homes. There is very limited access for humanitarian aid. Even Israel’s closest allies now say the action is hugely disproportionate and urge a ceasefire, much greater access for aid, and a much more restrained and proportionate response. The World Food Programme reports the diary of one of their staff members, Hind Khoudary, on daily life in Gaza, “We have officially run out of food. We went to the market to look for something to eat and returned with cucumbers. We are drained, dehydrated, starving and cold. People in Gaza city do not even have the freedom to search for food. Anyone who moves would be risking their lives. Neighbours have opened their doors to share whatever they have between them. Now that the middle area of Gaza has been cut off, no aid has entered. People were asking to move but we have no way to leave and nowhere to go. The situation has been devastating more than ever. We are starving. We are trapped. We are under non-stop explosions, airstrikes, artillery shelling, gunboat fire … We have no access to water - even dirty water - electricity, food, nothing.” ^[4]

Action for peace

Even Israel’s staunchest allies recognise that it is now time for an immediate ceasefire by all parties; for the release of all hostages; for full humanitarian access; for basic essentials like electricity, fuel, food and water to be allowed in; and for an urgent return to meaningful peace talks. As the Bible tells us, “a future awaits those who seek peace” (Psalm 37: 37). At the moment Israel’s bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza is driving more and more Palestinians into the arms of Hamas. There is no military solution that will end the cycle of violence and lead to a lasting peace. There is no way Hamas can be isolated and shut down, unless there is also a significant parallel track to rebuild progress towards peace with the Palestinian people, and gradually begin to peel their support away from Hamas. A key Arise blog from the end of last year maps out what the key elements of a peace process might look like.

A crucial part of this process must be meeting the legitimate concerns of the Palestinian people, which are a significant part of the background context to the current violence. This includes ending Israeli settlement in the West Bank; ending the restrictions Israel imposes on goods coming in and out of the occupied territories; ending Israeli restrictions on where ordinary Palestinians can live, build, work and travel; ending the harassment of ordinary Palestinians; and ultimately an end to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Another crucial element must be the reconvening of a truly democratic representative government for the Palestinian people of Gaza and the West Bank, which recognises the right of Israel to exist and genuinely wants peace and can prevent extremist groups like Hamas conducting violent attacks on Israel, and ultimately shut them down. Supporting bottom-up Reform Movements (and the Christians that are so often at the heart of them) that are seeking to bring about truly democratic governments that respect human rights in countries all around the world is one of three key focus campaigns for Arise. There are few places where this is needed more urgently than in Gaza, as an essential element for a lasting peace.

This week will you take action as part of Arise’s Reform Movements campaign, to call for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access, democratic reform and the urgent resumption of meaningful peace talks in Israel and Gaza?

Take Action

Speak out in advocacy

Write urgently to the Israeli ambassador to the UK in your own words.

Express condolences and sympathy for the tragic losses in Israel following the violent incursion by Hamas on Saturday 7 October.
But argue that the conflict in Gaza must end now and urge a ceasefire.
Urge complete humanitarian access into Gaza.
Urge the resumption of the flow of basic essentials like electricity, fuel, food and water back into Gaza.
Argue that there can be no military solution to this crisis, without a corresponding peace process, otherwise the bombing and invasion of Gaza simply creates more support for Hamas amongst the Palestinian people.
Urge the resumption of urgent meaningful peace talks with legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people, who can in time side-line Hamas, and urge making compromises to demonstrate a willingness for peace.
As part of this process ensure Israel does all it can to help reconstitute a truly democratic and human rights respecting authority of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.

You can write to her at:

Mrs Tzipi Hotovely
Ambassador of Israel to the UK
Embassy of Israel
2 Palace Green
London
W8 4QB

Pray

Pray for the people of Gaza and Israel. Pray for a ceasefire on all sides, the protection of all civilians, release of all hostages, for all those who are injured and have lost loved ones, for humanitarian access to Gaza, for basic essentials like food and water to get in, and for a real peace process to re-start again, even in these darkest days. Pray for democratic and human rights reform in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.

Give

Give to Christian organisations like Cafod, Christian Aid, Tearfund or World Vision who have launched urgent appeals to support the people of Gaza who have been impacted by the fighting.

Practical Action

Reach out to friends and neighbours in your community with roots and family in Gaza and Israel. How have they and their families been affected? How can you and your church support them?

Encourage us and others by letting us know what actions you have taken – message us at info@ariseuk.org, or via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Find out more

It’s great to take this action as individual Christians, but even better to come together with others to pray, discuss, worship, learn, have fun and take action together. Contact Arise if you are interested in joining or starting a local Arise group in your church or area. If you are already in an Arise group, take this action to your wider church, and get them all to do it too.

Find out more in the Arise Manifesto, Arise’s big picture, researched, Biblical, holistic and practical vision for a better world. It looks at what the Bible says, and what we can learn from the best data and the world’s leading experts on the five major areas of evangelism, discipleship, social justice, development and the environment. It then draws these lessons together into a practical road map for the changes we need to see in our world, which the Arise movement campaigns to achieve.

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[1] US-backed UN Gaza ceasefire resolution defeated by Russia and China veto, ITV, (22 Mar 2024), https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-22/us-backed-un-gaza-ceasefire-resolution-defeated-by-russia-and-china-veto

[2] Another shameful milestone in Gaza as 100,000 people killed or wounded, Relief Web, (27 Feb 2024), https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/another-shameful-milestone-gaza-100000-people-killed-or-wounded

[3] ‘The destruction is massive … It’s a disaster area’: Israeli soldiers speak about fighting in Gaza, Guardian, (8 Feb 2024), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/08/israeli-soldiers-idf-gaza-fighting-disaster-area

[4] Diary from Gaza, WFP, (12 Dec 2023), https://www.wfp.org/stories/diary-gaza-if-death-doesnt-come-airstrikes-it-will-come-starvation