MWC general secretary César García joined more than 200 global Christian leaders to sign a letter calling “with heartfelt insistence, for a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire, for the return of hostages, and the release of Palestinian prisoners held without due process.” 

The letter acknowledges the loss of Israeli lives on 7 October 2023 and the tens of thousands of Gazan lives lost since, in addition to destruction of two-thirds of the infrastructure (houses, schools, hospitals, roads, water and energy utilities) and support for livelihoods in Gaza.  

It expresses concern that the possibility for dialogue is closing and the possibility of regional war increases. It expresses fear for the loss of the 2 000-year-old Christian presence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. 

“We speak out as Christian leaders with a deep concern for the common good for all affected by war and conflict without exception. We speak with urgency. We speak in a spirit of peace,” the letter reads.  

“We speak because we are deeply inspired by the courageous and selfless commitment of our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, who suffer alongside their Muslim and Jewish neighbors and remain resolutely determined to help bring about a just and dignified future for all inhabitants of these lands,” the letter closes. 

“As an Anabaptist from Colombia, I am familiar with protracted internal violence within a region, and as a member of a historic peace church, I unite my voice with Christian leaders from around the world to denounce violence and suffering and to call for constructive dialogue to put hostile factions on a path to peace,” says César García. 

Read the letter here.

Read an interview with Anabaptist leaders on Israel and Palestine.