Palestinian church body urges aid for flood-hit Gaza

The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine on Saturday issued an urgent appeal to churches worldwide to provide humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip and help protect religious sites as heavy rains battered displaced families already struggling without adequate shelter.

Urgent appeal for humanitarian assistance

The committee called for immediate deliveries of food, drinking water, medicines, tents and winter supplies, prioritizing vulnerable groups including children, infants, the elderly and the sick. It urged closer coordination with church and relief organizations in Palestine to reach the hardest-hit families. "Prayer for Gaza must be accompanied by action for its people," it said, calling on churches to leverage their influence to press governments and international institutions to secure unhindered access for humanitarian aid, medical supplies and fuel.

Damage to historic religious sites

Rainwater seeped into Gaza City’s historic Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, underscoring the urgent need to protect places of worship and repair damage to religious and historic sites across the territory. The destruction of Gaza’s churches cannot be separated from the wider devastation inflicted on Palestinian lives, homes and heritage, the committee said, noting that protecting the Christian presence in the Holy Land remains inseparable from defending Palestinians’ rights to life, freedom and dignity.

Hundreds of thousands at risk from flooding

About 950,000 displaced people are living in flood-prone areas, including more than 400,000 at high risk, according to the committee. Heavy rain and strong winds have battered the coastal enclave since Friday evening, flooding 70,000 tents and bringing down dozens of walls, the government media office reported. The Palestinian presidency separately urged immediate UN Security Council intervention to secure unrestricted aid access and international protection for civilians trapped in the disaster-stricken area, blaming Israel’s blockade and obstruction of aid for deepening the humanitarian crisis.

War context and aid restrictions

Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, has devastated homes and infrastructure across the territory. Despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, continued Israeli restrictions on aid shipments, shelter supplies and reconstruction materials have severely hampered relief efforts. More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed over the past three years, according to Palestinian health authorities.