A Palestinian presidential committee has urged churches worldwide to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza and assist in safeguarding its places of worship, as severe winter storms batter displaced families already struggling without adequate shelter.
In an urgent appeal, the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine called for food, clean drinking water, medicines, tents, and winter provisions, prioritising infants, children, the elderly, and the sick.
The committee reported that approximately 950,000 displaced people are living in flood-prone zones across the coastal enclave, including more than 400,000 facing imminent high risk.
Rainwater seeped into Gaza City's historic Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, underscoring the urgent requirement to protect places of worship and restore damaged heritage sites.
Flooded displacement camps
The committee emphasised that the destruction of Gaza’s churches cannot be detached from the broader devastation inflicted on Palestinian lives, homes, and cultural heritage.
It underlined that Christian communities share the acute suffering of the wider population, including displacement and the deprivation of safety.
"Prayer for Gaza must be accompanied by action for its people," the committee declared, urging international religious leaders to press governments and institutions to facilitate unhindered access for humanitarian relief, medical supplies, and fuel.
Heavy rain and strong gale-force winds have battered Gaza since Friday evening, flooding 70,000 tents and toppling dozens of unstable walls, according to the government media office.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian presidency called for immediate United Nations Security Council intervention to secure international protection and unhindered humanitarian access, as Israeli blockades and aid obstruction worsened the crisis.
Despite a ceasefire taking effect on October 10 2025, continued Israeli restrictions on shelter materials and reconstruction supplies have severely impeded humanitarian efforts.
Israel has killed over 74,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023.
