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The World Council of Churches has declared that the Israeli airstrike targeting Al Ahli Arab Hospital (Al Muamalani) in Gaza amounts to collective punishment and is a war crime under international law.
In a statement released by its General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, tonight, the Council pointed out that thousands of Palestinians, whose homes were destroyed, sought refuge at the hospital run by the Anglican Church.
The Council urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for the crimes committed against civilians, emphasizing that "the Israeli attack on the hospital contradicts all our fundamental values of advocating for justice, peace-making, and protecting the human dignity of all people."
They added that “the attack is senseless, as it was directed at a hospital, church properties, patients, and families seeking shelter from the relentless Israeli shelling.”
Anglican Church in Jerusalem: Al Muamalani Hospital Massacre a “Crime Against Humanity”
The Anglican Episcopal Church in Jerusalem condemned the Israeli occupation's aerial assault on Al Ahli Arab Hospital (Al Muamalani) in Gaza, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of hundreds of Palestinian civilians, describing it as a crime against humanity.
In a statement issued tonight, the Church stated that, in conjunction with the day of fasting and prayer for peace announced by the patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem, Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, affiliated with the Anglican Episcopal Church, was subjected to a brutal attack.
They added that “hospitals are considered safe havens according to the principles of international humanitarian law, yet this assault has crossed those sacred boundaries.”
The Church continued: "We responded to the call of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who appealed for the protection of medical facilities and the lifting of evacuation orders. It is regrettable that Gaza still lacks safe havens."
The Anglican Episcopal Church emphasized that "the destruction we witnessed, along with the vile targeting of the church, strikes at the core of human ethics," affirming that the Israeli attack "deserves international condemnation and punishment."
