Israel-Gaza war

This page contains information for parishes and individuals seeking to better understand the Church’s response to the war and guidance on how they can how help whether through prayer, giving or action.
This page does not pretend to be a comprehensive resource on the war in Gaza or the wider issues shaping the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Pray

The first thing Christians can do in response to war is to pray for peace and for those affected.

On 7 October 2023, the day of the attack by Hamas on Israel, the Archbishop of Canterbury and York prayed for those mourning, those injured, and all those fearing for their safety. They also prayed for restraint on all sides, and renewed efforts towards a just peace for all.

Prayer remains as urgent today as it did then.

Please find prayers for peace and hope which can be used to pray for the situation.

Give

Following a 4-day pastoral visit to Jerusalem (19-23 October 2023), Archbishop Justin Welby joined with Archbishop Hosam Naoum to launch a joint appeal calling for prayers and donations

both for the vital work of Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza, and also for the wide range of ministries of the Diocese of Jerusalem which are also being greatly affected by the war.

Alongside the various healthcare programmes they run, the Diocese also provides education and training, youth and women’s ministries and ecumenical & interfaith engagement. Full details of this work can be found on the Diocese’s website

If you would like to learn more about the Diocese of Jerusalem, Bearing Witness is a brilliant series of studies with information and films available online from the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem

Amongst other things, it contains a short film about the ministry of Al Ahli Hospital.

If you would like to contribute to the appeal, you can do so securely through the following UK charitable bodies: The Friends of the Holy Land and the Jerusalem and Middle East Church Association

Act

If you would like to connect with organisations working to promote peace and human flourishing in the Middle East then check out the following organisations:

  • Christian Aid is the official ecumenical arm of Churches in Britain and Ireland and has been working with the poorest and most vulnerable people in the Middle East since the early 1950s, when it provided humanitarian relief to Palestinian refugees.
  • Embrace the Middle East is an ecumenical Christian charity working to help marginalised and vulnerable communities in the Middle East.
  • The Jerusalem Middle East Church Association has supported the life and work of the Anglican Church across Jerusalem, the Middle East and North Africa for more than 120 years and other many ways for individuals to get involved in supporting the Church in the Holy Land.
  • Friends of the Holy Land is a non-political Christian Charity whose mission it is to secure a resilient and enduring Christian community in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan – the part of the world that Christians call the Holy Land.
  • USPG is a historic Anglican mission agency that has a long standing partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
  • The Church Mission Society is a historic Anglican mission society which supports mission partners across the region.
  • The Council of Christians and Jews is a leading interfaith charity which works to help Jews and Christians to meet, to understand each other better and to create meaningful engagement between the communities.

Stay informed

The Church of England has issued several statements in response to the war in Gaza.

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