South African Bishops call for ceasefire in the Holy Land

By Sr. Titilayo Aduloju, SSMA

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, the President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC),  expressed grief as the death toll since the start of the violent conflict between Israel and Hamas militants continues to escalate on both sides.

Since the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens, the death toll on both sides has risen by the day. The official death toll in Gaza stands at 3,478 killed while 12,065 others have been wounded. In the occupied West Bank, 69 people have been killed and 1,300 wounded. In Israel, at least 1,400 people have been killed and 3,800 injured.

In a statement, Bishop Sipuka added that about 2.4 million Palestinians are denied access to food, water, medical care, and energy, with the majority of them being women, children, and senior citizens.

Searching for victims and survivors in Khan Younis

Appeal for curtailing of violence

According to the SACBC President, the Bishops expressed their sorrow over the continuous killings in the Holy Land.

He also said that they have appealed for a stop in the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.

“For a ceasefire and that a humane way of dealing with the present situation be found to eliminate further suffering and deaths,” Bishop Sipuka said.

Bishop Sipuka, President of SACBC

Call for restoration of life essentials

The Bishop said, "We affirm the right and obligation of the Israeli government to protect its citizens. In the same breath, we note that the bombardment is causing the suffering and death of a huge number of civilian Palestinians with no connection to Hamas activities”

“Two wrongs don’t make a right; the innocent lives of both the Israelis and Palestinians are precious and must be protected," he said.

He therefore called for an immediate supply of the basic essentials of life for the people.

 “We particularly request an immediate restoration of food supply, electricity, and health care to the Palestinian people in Gaza, which are the basic necessities of life,” said Bishop Sipuka.

Seek for a lasting solution

Considering the loss of precious lives of the innocent citizens of both sides, Bishop Sipuka stated that the situation at hand must be resolved in a way that is humane in order to prevent additional suffering and death.

It is the hope of the conference that, through “our shared appreciation of the preciousness of life will see us finding a peaceful solution to the longstanding tension between these two nations,” the president expressed.

He appealed to them that they should “hammer their swords into ploughshares (so that) nations will not lift sword against nation” (cf. Micah: 4:3).

Bishop Sipuka therefore concluded by quoting Pope Francis' recent statement that “every war is a defeat”.