21 May 2025
Need for massive humanitarian response in Gaza
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) welcomes the solidarity among leaders of donor countries and the international community in their joint call on Israel to allow the passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“The additional clear statement from the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, drawing attention to the plight of the residents of Gaza, is good to see,” says Rev John Gilmore, NCCA President.
The images of daily life in Gaza and of desperate people seeking food, shelter and clean water are overwhelming.
Says Rev Gilmore, “It is hard to understand how the amount of aid that can be made available is still partially blockaded when the need is so great. The withholding of medical care and sufficient food for daily life from the people of Gaza is not just.”
The NCCA, through its humanitarian agency Act for Peace has been, and continues to, respond to the needs of people in Gaza through church agencies on the ground. However, these agencies cannot be the only responders given the great needs.
“Pressure from Governments around the world is needed so that a full humanitarian response is possible,” says Rev Gilmore.
“We continue to pray for a resolution to this conflict so that the peoples of Palestine and Israel can experience peace with justice and an end to the war.”
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Contact: NCCA Secretariat, secretariat@ncca.org.au Tel. 02 9299 2215