Palestinian church committee urges aid for flood-hit Gaza

A Palestinian presidential committee on Saturday urged churches worldwide to provide aid to the Gaza Strip and help protect its places of worship as heavy rain battered displaced families already struggling without safe shelter.

In an urgent appeal, the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine called for food, drinking water, medicines, tents and winter supplies, with a priority for children, infants, the elderly and the sick.

About 950,000 displaced people are living in flood-prone areas, including more than 400,000 at high risk, said the committee.

It said rainwater seeped into Gaza City's historic Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, underscoring the need to protect places of worship and repair damage to religious and historic sites.

The destruction of Gaza's churches cannot be separated from the wider devastation inflicted on Palestinian lives, homes and heritage, it said.

It stressed that Christian communities shared the suffering of the wider Palestinian population, including displacement and the loss of shelter and safety. Protecting the Christian presence in the Holy Land, it added, was inseparable from defending Palestinians' rights to life, freedom and dignity.

The committee urged churches to use their influence to press governments and international institutions to secure unhindered access for humanitarian aid, medical supplies and fuel. It also called for closer coordination with church and relief organizations in Palestine to reach the hardest-hit families.

"Prayer for Gaza must be accompanied by action for its people," it said.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian presidency urged immediate UN Security Council intervention to secure unrestricted aid access and international protection for Palestinians. It blamed Israel's attacks, blockade and obstruction of aid for deepening the crisis.

Heavy rain and strong winds have battered Gaza since Friday evening, flooding 70,000 tents and bringing down dozens of walls, according to the government media office.

Israel's genocidal war, which began in October 2023, has devastated homes and infrastructure in Gaza. Despite a ceasefire that has been in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, continued Israeli restrictions on aid, shelter supplies and reconstruction materials have hampered relief efforts. Overall, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed over the past three years.