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Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, is once again calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the conflict in Gaza. He made the appeal in a new interview with Vatican News.
Dutton's comments come after three Christians were killed after an Israeli tank fired on the only Catholic parish in Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces and the Israeli government have both said the church was not intentionally targeted.
However Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch, reported doubts: “They say it was a mistake. But here, no one believes that.”
Caritas Internationalis is the international aid organization of the Catholic Church.
“As St. Paul says, when one part of the body suffers, we all suffer,” Dutton told Vatican News, noting that two of the three people killed in the strike in Gaza were in Caritas Jerusalem's counseling tent.
Lack of very basic supplies brought deaths
Now, said Dutton, speaking on behalf of Caritas, is the time for “the international community to put pressure on the Israeli government to stop these attacks that are hurting civilian people day in and day out.”
It is further important, he added, that the international community is "clear with the state of Israel that this cannot continue and that other states must stop providing the support to Israel that allows it to continue waging these atrocities on the people of Gaza."
Medical supplies are limited in Gaza, said Dutton, adding that two of the three deaths from the attack on Holy Family Parish were caused "from want of very basic medical supplies" after being taken to a hospital.
“We need the bombardment and the atrocities to stop immediately.”
End to violence
Earlier in July, Caritas joined more than 160 NGOs in calling for changes to the existing aid distribution system in the area, and a ceasefire.
At its website, Caritas called the Israeli distribution scheme in Gaza, including the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation "deadly."
The aid organization urged a return to UN-coordination of aid distribution, which have gone from 400 point to four military-controlled sites.
Palestinians in Gaza today are confronted with an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while attempting to secure food for their families. The weeks following the launch of the Israeli distribution scheme have been among the deadliest and most violent since October 2023.
In less than four weeks, over 500 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 4,000 injured while attempting to access or distribute food. Israeli forces and armed groups — some reportedly backed by Israeli authorities — routinely open fire on civilians risking their lives to survive.
The joint statement said the "normalization of suffering" has to stop.
"States must reject the false choice between deadly military-controlled food distribution and total aid denial," said Caritas in a July 1 statement published online.
