{"id":57719,"date":"2024-11-25T14:37:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T19:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/?p=57719"},"modified":"2024-11-25T14:38:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T19:38:00","slug":"wcc-seeks-justice-and-peace-in-gaza-lebanon-and-the-wider-middle-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-seeks-justice-and-peace-in-gaza-lebanon-and-the-wider-middle-east\/","title":{"rendered":"WCC seeks justice and peace in Gaza, Lebanon, and the wider Middle East"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, in a statement, expressed deep concern over ongoing and widespread Israeli attacks on civilian populations and infrastructure in occupied Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, spilling over into neighboring Syria and beyond.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/WCClogo_colour_ENG-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24385\" width=\"220\" height=\"73\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/WCClogo_colour_ENG-6.jpg 801w, https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/WCClogo_colour_ENG-6-300x100.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/WCClogo_colour_ENG-6-768x256.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe toll of these brutal military attacks is appalling,\u201d reads the statement.\u00a0\u201cThey have led to a catastrophic loss of life, with more than 50,000 civilians killed\u2014including children, humanitarian workers, medical personnel, and journalists\u2014and tens of thousands severely injured and traumatized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WCC governing body observed with deep sorrow the ongoing attacks on hospitals, clinics, and ambulances in Gaza and Lebanon, which have decimated essential healthcare services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn addition to the destruction of medical facilities, the statement underlines thatdenial of humanitarian access, and obstruction of aid violate both international law and the sanctity of life\u201d.&nbsp;\u201cIn northern Gaza under siege, an estimated 400,000 people are trapped, denied access to basic necessities such as food, water, fuel, and medical care, which contravenes international humanitarian law and human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The statement notes that the severity of acute food insecurity in Gaza has sharply worsened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In the worst-affected areas in northern Gaza, a siege has caused the near-total blockade of food supply flows since 1 October 2024,\u201d the statement reads.&nbsp;\u201cFor much of northern Gaza, famine is looming.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reports from UNICEF confirm that countless children bear the physical and emotional scars of conflict, many having been mutilated by explosive weapons, while more than one million children face the risk of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The statement also addresses the situation in Lebanon and the wider region.&nbsp;\u201cAgainst the background of the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza, intensified rocket attacks by Hezbollah led to the evacuation of large numbers of Israelis from their homes in northern Israel,\u201d reads the statement.&nbsp;\u201cSince September 2024, Israeli missile strikes in Lebanon have killed over 3,000 people, injured more than 13,000, displaced over 1.2 million, and devastated critical infrastructure and the nation\u2019s fragile economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WCC called for an immediate ceasefire across Gaza, Lebanon, and the broader region to prevent further loss of life and livelihoods, and to restore compliance with international law.\u201d In further recognition of relevant obligations under international humanitarian law, we demand the elimination of obstacles to humanitarian access and call for the unconditional facilitation of humanitarian aid for those trapped in conflict zones,\u201d the statement reads.&nbsp;\u201cWe call for an arms embargo on Israel and to prevent arms transfers to armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah whose actions indicate serious violations of international law, in order to prevent the further escalation of violence and to protect civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WCC executive committee is convening in Paralimni, Cyprus, from 21-26 November to focus on planning for 2025, including the budget and implementation of WCC strategies. The thematic focus of the gathering is on peace-building in the context of occupation, war, and conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oikoumene.org\/resources\/documents\/statement-on-the-war-in-gaza-lebanon-and-the-wider-middle-east\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Statement on the War in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Wider Middle East<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, in a statement, expressed deep concern over ongoing and widespread Israeli attacks on civilian populations and infrastructure in occupied Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, spilling over into neighboring Syria and beyond.\u00a0 &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-seeks-justice-and-peace-in-gaza-lebanon-and-the-wider-middle-east\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20176,"featured_media":57720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[],"topic":[20450],"region":[20025,20024,20022,20031],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>WCC seeks justice and peace in Gaza, Lebanon, and the wider Middle East - Global Ministries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-seeks-justice-and-peace-in-gaza-lebanon-and-the-wider-middle-east\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WCC seeks justice and peace in Gaza, Lebanon, and the wider Middle East - Global Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, in a statement, expressed deep concern over ongoing and widespread Israeli attacks on civilian populations and infrastructure in occupied Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, spilling over into neighboring Syria and beyond.\u00a0 &hellip; 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