United Church moderator, other church leaders march on Parliament Hill to call for Gaza ceasefire

The ecumenical march came two weeks after the church condemned the Israel Defense Forces’ ongoing assault on Rafah By Drew-Anne Glennie

 May 22, 2024

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, The United Church of Canada’s moderator joined other church leaders in a march on Parliament Hill Wednesday to call on the Canadian government to support a ceasefire.

The march came two weeks after the church released a statement condemning the Israel Defence Forces’ ongoing assault on Rafah. 

Since last fall, the church has taken the position that Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is a genocide and has been calling on members to push government officials for an end to the conflict. 

The United Nations says that only a few hospitals in Gaza are partially operational, and the organization has warned about an immediate risk of famine. 

The United Church of Canada has a relationship with aid groups in the area through a coalition called Action by Churches Together. Some of those groups told Broadviewearlier this year that a range of issues including blockades, airstrikes and other logistics were preventing some aid from reaching Gazans. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East also said earlier this week that it had suspended food aid to Rafah, citing a shortage of supplies and insecurity. 

“The humanitarian situation there is dire: famine is a current reality, the death toll rises, people are unable to access basic necessities for life,” the United Church’s statement on Rafah reads. 

You can read more about the recent statement here, as well as reactions to it