By Kielce Gussie and Francesca Merlo
In response to the devastating developments in Gaza, where Israeli forces stormed Gaza City on Aug 20—a city now sheltering nearly one million displaced civilians—Caritas Internationalis has issued a statement “bearing witness to this horror.”
Two days later, the United Nations officially declared a famine in the enclave. Caritas emphasises that the situation had already deteriorated drastically: 273 people had died of starvation, including 112 children.
“The declaration was not a warning,” the statement reads, “but a grim confirmation of what humanitarian organisations have been saying for months: Gazans have long endured a deliberate descent into starvation.”
Calculated choices
These deaths, Caritas continues, are not tragic accidents, but the result of calculated choices. The people of Gaza have been stripped of basic necessities—shelter, sustenance, and safety.
“This is not war. It is the systematic destruction of civilian life.”
Caritas Internationalis describes the siege of Gaza as a “machinery of annihilation.” Unlike famines brought on by natural disasters, this one is man-made—a direct consequence of deliberate strategy: “blocking aid, bombing food convoys, destroying infrastructure, and denying basic needs.”
The statement goes on to argue that civilians—particularly women and children—have borne the brunt of this starvation, bombing, and eradication. Governments, organisations, and multinational corporations have enabled this suffering through financial support, military assistance, and diplomatic protection.
“Their silence is not neutrality. It is endorsement.”
Hollow words
All the while, Caritas highlights, the international community appears to offer only hollow declarations and empty platitudes. These “double standards,” the statement continues, serve only to buy time for further destruction.
“Caritas Internationalis sees in Gaza a deliberate assault on human dignity and the collapse of moral order, a failure of leadership, responsibility, and humanity itself.”
Caritas Internationalis goes on to stress that it abhors all these acts and omissions in the strongest terms. “They represent a blatant disregard for the values and fundamental principles of humanity and clearly violate International Law, International Humanitarian Law, and International Human Rights Law, as well as numerous provisions of specific UN Conventions, including the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”
A call rooted in faith
Caritas recalls the words of Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti: “We are either all saved together or no one is saved.” Scripture, too, compels action: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8) and “Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matthew 25:45).
Against this backdrop, the organisation issues a series of urgent demands. It calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, alongside unrestricted humanitarian access to deliver food, medicine, and essential aid. It insists on the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained persons, and the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force to protect civilians. Caritas further stresses the need for protection of all non-combatants, especially children, women, and the elderly, as well as accountability for perpetrators and enablers before national and international courts.
The statement also highlights the importance of fully implementing the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on Jul 19 2024, which calls for an end to Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This includes the cessation of settlement activity, the evacuation of settlers, the provision of reparations, and binding action from United Nations bodies to bring the occupation to an end.
‘A test of moral integrity’
“The famine in Gaza is a test of moral integrity, and too many have failed,” the statement concludes. “To starve a population is to desecrate life. To remain silent is to be complicit.”
Caritas Internationalis appeals to all people of faith and conscience to raise their voices, pressure their governments, and demand justice.
“The world is watching. History is recording. And Gaza is waiting, not for words, but for salvation.” – Vatican News
