The United Methodist Church is looking for a ceasefire within the battle between Israel and Hamas, citing the humanitarian disaster that has gripped the Gaza Strip because the battle started final October.
The UMC Council of Bishops issued an announcement on Thursday calling for an “instant and lasting ceasefire within the battle between Hamas and Israel in Gaza and pledging prayers and dedication to work for lasting peace for Israelis, Palestinians and all within the area.” .”
“The power of humanitarian organizations to deal with the essential wants of the victims of this extended battle has additionally been severely restricted by the shortage of significant motion,” the bishops stated.
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“An estimated 1.8 million Palestinians have been displaced, their houses and communities destroyed. The United Nations estimates that greater than half 1,000,000 individuals reside below 'catastrophic ranges of deprivation and starvation'.”
The bishops state that “the present army technique of the Israeli authorities, supported by American arms transfers and assist, will solely result in the destruction of your complete Gaza Strip, to the reckless demise toll that will increase every single day, to the perpetuation of one of many longest occasions on the planet. conflicts and the unfold of rising hostility between Israelis and Palestinians.
“The absence of an actual ceasefire after greater than 5 months of this lethal battle compels us to lift our voices now,” the UMC leaders added. “We pledge our prayers and dedication to work for lasting peace, an finish to the violence and the discharge of the hostages.”
The Islamic terrorist group Hamas, which has managed the Gaza Strip since 2007, launched a shock assault on southern Israel on October 7, killing at the least 1,200 individuals, largely civilians, and taking round 240 hostages.
In response, Israel launched a army offensive in Gaza to root out Hamas and safe the discharge of the hostages. The Well being Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed because the battle started. Figures from the Gaza Ministry of Well being don’t distinguish between armed militants and unarmed civilians.
Whereas the Hamas demise toll figures have been cited by the media and advocates accusing Israel of genocidal actions, some commentators have expressed skepticism in regards to the authenticity of the figures supplied by Hamas.
In late February, the Israel Protection Forces stated at the least 12,000 Hamas fighters had been killed because the battle started. Israel has maintained all through the battle that its fighters are doing their greatest to keep away from civilian casualties in a posh city atmosphere through which Hamas has been accused of utilizing civilians as human shields.
“Official Palestinian demise tolls not solely fail to tell apart between troopers and youngsters, however Hamas additionally blames Israel for all deaths, whether or not brought on by Hamas's personal failed rockets, unintentional explosions, deliberate killings, or infighting,” wrote Professor Abraham Wyner. in statistics and knowledge science on the Wharton College of the College of Pennsylvania, in a latest article for the Jewish information journal Pill.
“One group of researchers on the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg College of Public Well being in contrast Hamas reviews with knowledge on UNRWA employees. They argued that as a result of the demise charges had been roughly related, Hamas' numbers should not be inflated. However their argument rested on a elementary and unverified assumption: that the employees UNRWA just isn’t disproportionately extra more likely to be killed than the overall inhabitants. This assumption exploded when a big variety of UNRWA employees had been revealed to be affiliated with Hamas. Some had been even revealed as individuals within the October 7 bloodbath itself.”
The violence in Gaza has led many Christian denominations and organizations in america to name for a everlasting ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
Earlier this month, for instance, the Convention of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America despatched a letter to President Joe Biden imploring him to “do all the pieces in your energy to finish the current struggling and lay the foundations for lasting peace with justice.”
“We mourn the lack of 1,200 valuable lives in Israel on October seventh because of the actions of Hamas and the trauma of the 250 others who had been taken hostage. We mourn the lack of greater than 30,000 valuable lives in Gaza – together with tens of 1000’s of ladies and youngsters – who’ve since died in Israeli army motion,” the ELCA bishops stated.
“Too many have suffered. Too many lives had been misplaced. Robust US management is required to assist obtain a complete lasting ceasefire, an finish to the occupation and an enduring peace.
Others argued {that a} cease-fire would profit Hamas and different terrorist teams based mostly within the Gaza Strip, which have made no secret of their want to destroy the nation of Israel.
Final month, america vetoed a draft UN Safety Council decision calling for a right away ceasefire, arguing it might be counterproductive. The US submitted its personal draft cease-fire decision to the UN Safety Council calling for a “short-term cease-fire in Gaza as quickly as attainable based mostly on the sample of the discharge of all hostages and the removing of all obstacles to the supply of large-scale humanitarian assist.” “
“Demanding for a right away, unconditional cease-fire with out an settlement requiring Hamas to launch hostages is not going to carry lasting peace. As an alternative, it might delay the preventing between Hamas and Israel,” stated US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield. in accordance with Reuters.
In a press launch final week, a senior Biden administration official claimed that Hamas was holding up negotiations on a six-week ceasefire settlement by refusing to launch numerous susceptible hostages.
A senior Israeli protection official advised The Jerusalem Put up final week that Hamas is stealing assist provides that Israel and different international locations have despatched to Gaza and promoting them on the black marketplace for greater than they’re value.
