The humanitarian crisis facing Christian and Palestinian communities in Gaza and the West Bank has grown more severe, with Church officials warning that blocked aid, disrupted schools, and shrinking livelihoods are pushing families closer to desperation.
George Akroush, director of the Development Office of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, says no humanitarian shipments have reached Gaza since March 7. The consequences, he said, are immediate: no medicine, no antibiotics, and no spare parts for hospitals. The Patriarchate is also struggling to help the territory’s only Christian hospital, near the Catholic compound, because its usual channels of communication with Israeli authorities have reportedly been cut off.
As reported by John Newton and Felipe d’Avillez for Aid to the Church in Need, Israeli authorities announced the indefinite closure of crossings into Gaza from March 1, citing security concerns. This was the day after the start of the war with Iran.
Akroush told the charity that the decision has forced the Church to reconsider plans to reopen one of Gaza’s Christian schools, which had been set to welcome students back in phases.
The same article notes that around 250 people are still sheltering at Holy Family Church in Gaza, including 50 people with disabilities cared for by the Missionaries of Charity. Although some 300 people were able to leave during the ceasefire, many remain in precarious conditions.
West Bank
Pressure is also mounting in the West Bank. According to the report by Newton and d’Avillez, aid agencies including Caritas, Oxfam, and Save the Children have been required to comply with new rules or risk losing the ability to operate in Palestinian communities. Israeli officials have maintained that the tighter licensing measures are needed because of concerns about links between some aid workers and militant groups.
Akroush also described the deep economic strain caused by movement restrictions. Before the October 7, 2023, attacks, he said, 180,000 Palestinians from the West Bank held permits to work in Israel. That number later dropped sharply, and many have now lost access to their jobs altogether. Christian schools in Jerusalem have been affected as well, since a substantial share of teachers and support staff commute daily from the West Bank.
In the ACN article, Akroush questions official explanations that checkpoint restrictions are due to limited manpower, saying many Christians see the policy instead as part of broader pressure on Palestinian communities. He also warned that more Christian families are now considering emigration, often looking first to Jordan and then to Europe or other Western countries.
Even so, the Church is trying to remain present. Aid to the Church in Need has expanded its support since the October 2023 attacks, helping with emergency relief, food aid, and job programs. Akroush points to a striking image often used by Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa:
“Patriarch Pizzaballa often describes the mission of the Church in these difficult times as a jackhammer that slowly and persistently strikes hard rock until it begins to crack.
“Each act of service, each job created, each child returning to school, and each family supported represents another small break in the rock of despair.”
