The Archbishops’ Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire
“Ano te ahuareka o nga waewae i runga i nga maunga o te kaikawe i te rongo pai, e kauwhau ana i te maunga rongo; e kawe mai ana i te rongo whakahari o te pai, e kauwhau ana i te ora!”
(Ihaia 52:7)
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news!” (Isaiah 52:7)
As Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia we give thanks for the cessation of war promised by the ceasefire agreed between the Government of Israel and Hamas to commence on Sunday 19 January 2025.
We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East, and echo their call for a just and lasting peace that upholds the dignity and integrity of all and aligns with international humanitarian law.
We give thanks for the Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoan Governments’ calls for a ceasefire and the New Zealand Government’s call for access into Gaza for humanitarian aid.
We reaffirm the call from the Governments of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Island countries urging the ceasefire parties to meet the agreement’s terms in good faith, in the context of a commitment to longer term peace.
In a ceasefire statement from the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East on Sunday 19 January, the Anglican Church in the Holy Land has called for worldwide support for the peace process.
“We appeal to fellow Christians and all those of goodwill to continue to advocate and pray not only for the adoption of the full agreement but also for the region’s leaders and people to invest as much of their political and financial capital towards peacebuilding, as they tragically have in waging warfare over these past many months and in the decades proceeding.”
Alongside the church in the Holy Land we especially highlight the need for political vigilance, sustained advocacy and prayer to uphold:
Israel agreement to end its blockade of water, electricity and essential amenities supply to Gaza, to reduce harm to its civilian populations
All parties in Gaza to facilitate humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and reach its population in dire need after fifteen months of deprivation, bombardment and grief
The release of the remaining hostages held captive in Gaza and the release of the 1000s of political prisoners held captive in Israel’s jails, so that they all may be returned to their families’ embrace
All parties in Gaza work to ensure people displaced from Northern Gaza are able to safely return to the site of their former homes
We encourage all governments in Oceania to increase their human and financial contribution to humanitarian efforts in Gaza, including critical humanitarian infrastructure and the work of UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies. We call on our governments to provide emergency immigration pathways for family members of Palestinian residents of our countries.
We commit to continuing our Church’s support for Middle East churches’ humanitarian work in the Holy Land through the Christian World Service Middle East Emergency Appeal and the Anglican Missions’ Hope for the Holy Land Appeal, which directs funds to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem’s Al Ahli Hospital in Northern Gaza and its work in communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Of the hospital’s work the Episcopal Diocese in Jerusalem writes:
“At this time we would like to commend the courageous staff and volunteers of our Ahli Arab Hospital and its clinics in Gaza, who have endured unbearable hardships in extending Christ’s healing ministry the thousands of wounded patients they have treated throughout the course of the war. They are the true heroes of this disastrous chapter in our region’s history.”
“In the weeks and months ahead, there will be more opportunities to contribute towards expanding the work of our hospital in order to meet the increasingly desperate needs of the battered Gazan community in the face of a largely demolished healthcare system.”
Finally, we urge Anglican whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia to continue to pray and advocate for peace in the Holy Land and to support the aid appeals above.
++Don Tamihere ++Justin Duckworth ++Sione Ulu’ilakepa
