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Holy Land Church leaders welcome ceasefire with relief

Shir Torem | Reuters People reacted in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 19 as they watched news coverage of the release of Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages who have been held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as part of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

Leaders urged that humanitarian aid be delivered to help people suffering in Gaza

As news spread of a long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, reactions from religious leaders in the region expressed hopes for peace in the Holy Land, concern for the safety of hostages as well as the people of the Gaza Strip for the past 15 months.

In a statement released Jan. 16 by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land said they hoped the ceasefire “will mark an important end to the violence that has caused immeasurable suffering.”

“It is a necessary step to halt the destruction and meet the urgent humanitarian needs of countless families affected by the conflict,” the statement read.

Raneen Sawafta | Reuters
Freed Palestinian prisoner Nidaa Zaghebi embraced her mother-in-law and son after her release from an Israeli jail in Jenin, West Bank, Jan. 20, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

The agreement includes a six-week initial ceasefire phase and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, scenes of joy were delayed but the streets erupted in cheers as the first 90 prisoners, mostly women and teens, freed from Israeli prisons, were brought home in white Red Cross buses after midnight Jan. 20. In the Gaza Strip, the first caravans of those displaced by 15-month war attempted return to their homes — of which scores are flattened — and the first 600 trucks of aid entered the strip.

The first Israelis to be released from Hamas captivity were Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, both of whom were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Gaza along the Gaza border in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, and Romi Gonen, 24, who was among the 40 people kidnapped from the Nova dance festival that same day.

Shortly after the deal was agreed, local emergency crews in Gaza said the territory was bombed, with Israeli strikes killing at least 77 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense. Of those killed, 21 were children and 25 women, it said.

Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Gaza, told the Italian bishops’ conference news agency SIR that people were beginning “to nurture the hope of returning to their homes — for those who still have them — and understanding what is left and how to rebuild.”

“For everyone, it also means returning to live without the constant nightmare of planes, bombs, fighting, and violence,” he said. “Everyone hopes the truce holds.”

The deal, announced Jan. 15 following several months of negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, also included a deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

In their statement, Church leaders of the Holy Land said they were aware that the end of the war “does not mean the end of the conflict” and that it was time for both sides to seriously and credibly address the deep-rooted issues that have been at the root of this conflict for far too long.

“Genuine and lasting peace can only be achieved through a just solution that addresses the origin of this long-standing struggle. This requires a long process, a willingness to acknowledge each other’s suffering and a focused education in trust that leads to overcoming fear of the other and the justification of violence as a political tool,” the Catholic bishops of the region said.

Praying that the ceasefire will “bring a sense of serenity and relief to all” the Holy Land bishops expressed their hope that the ceasefire would be the starting point of a path toward “reconciliation, justice and sustainable peace” that promotes “healing and unity among all the people of the Holy Land.”

In their statement, the bishops also called on the international community to develop “a clear and just political vision for the post-war period” because “a future built on dignity, security and freedom for all peoples is a prerequisite for true and lasting peace.”

“Despite the pain we have suffered, we continue to look to the future with unwavering hope,” the bishops said.

The bishops’ statement echoed remarks made by Father Francesco Patton, the custos of the Holy Land, not long after the deal was announced.

“I hope that starting Sunday, hostages and prisoners will actually begin to be freed, and that from here a path will begin, surely a long one, toward stabilization to make Gaza livable again and, at the same time, governable,” Father Patton said.

Citing the testimony of Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of Hersh, an American Israeli hostage killed in Gaza, Father Patton said peace between Israel and Palestine “is the realistic position of people who, through suffering, have developed a different idea: From shared and acknowledged suffering, a path to mutual acceptance can emerge.”

He also emphasized the need to guarantee aid for the people of Gaza.

“The population is at the breaking point,” Father Patton said. “For this reason, there must be someone who not only allows the trucks to enter but also accompanies them and organizes an orderly distribution of the goods they bring.”

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement of the deal and told reporters at the United Nations that it was crucial the ceasefire agreement “removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza.”