This came during a press conference held at the Notre Dame Center in East Jerusalem, attended by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, following a field visit they made to the Gaza Strip over the past two days.
Pizzaballa explained that delaying aid delivery is not just a case of inaction, but a death sentence for innocent people, adding that every hour that passes without the provision of food, water, medicine, and shelter leaves a deep, undeniable pain. He called for an end to what he described as "madness" and an end to the war machine, with a focus on the common good of humanity above all else.
For his part, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III expressed his deep sorrow following his pastoral visit to Gaza, explaining that the land is suffering from the ongoing pain and cries of its people. He said they witnessed the wounded, the bereaved, and the displaced, and emphasized that the dignity of the faithful remains unbroken despite the intense suffering.
Theophilus addressed the international community, warning that silence in the face of this suffering would be a betrayal of the human conscience.
The Gaza Strip is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history, with a severe famine intertwined with a war of extermination waged by Israel since October 7, 2023.
With the complete closure of crossings and the ban on the entry of food and medicine since March 2, famine has spread throughout the Gaza Strip, and symptoms of severe malnutrition have appeared among children and patients.
Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 200,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 9,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, and a famine that has claimed the lives of many.
