15.10.2025
Seeds of Hope Following Acceptance of a Ceasefire in Gaza
A message from Archbishop Michael Jackson.
In recent days we have seen glimmers of hope in a region ravaged by darkness. The acceptance of a ceasefire by Hamas and Israel, the release of captives, the increased flow of food and medical aid all combine to offer not yet confident optimism, but it constitutes a cautious vision of a way forward.
In Dublin and Glendalough we have been heartened this week by two pieces of news. The first is a video from Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City – a place which is close to all of our hearts. The video (which you can watch below), while outlining the huge challenges currently faced by the staff, shows the determination of the only Christian hospital in Gaza to continue to serve all people. This commitment and this continuity offer the radiance of hope and care for a ravaged and a traumatized population.
We stand ready to support the future work of Al Ahli in whatever form that might take. I am aware that many parishes in the dioceses have dedicated their harvest collections to the hospital and for this I thank every one of you. I will be in Jordan at the end of this month to join the clergy and people of the Diocese of Jerusalem at their Majma (their Synod, which was deferred from June). I will listen to their hopes and their plans and we will explore what we can do together.
The second piece of news came yesterday (October 14) with the statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, one of whom is our friend, Archbishop Hosam Naoum, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem.
Along with millions in their war–torn region and hundreds of millions around the globe, the Heads of Churches “rejoice at the recent enactment of the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of those held captive”. They recognise the efforts of all in the international community to bring about this achievement and hope and trust that this is the end of the Gaza War. Their hope is for immediate relief for the Palestinians of Gaza and ultimately a programme of rebuilding.
We join them in their words of encouragement to those living in St Porphyrios Orthodox Church and the Holy Family Church as well as to those serving at Al Ahli Arab Hospital and in giving thanks to God for the arrival at this “auspicious moment” while they recognise that peacebuilding has just begun.
In this season of harvest we pray that these seeds of hope be given the potential to flourish. Seedtime and harvest go together. We pray that all parties to this war see peace as their only goal and that everything possible be done to turn a fragile ceasefire into a lasting process that will end the suffering for the people of Gaza and Palestine and for the people of Israel, and bring about a just and lasting peace.
You can read the full statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches below:
STATEMENT ON THE DECLARATIONS ON THE END OF THE WAR IN GAZA
14 October, 2025
“[The Almighty] makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’” (Psalm 46:9–10)
Along with millions living throughout our war–torn region, and hundreds of millions around the globe, We, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, rejoice at the recent enactment of the ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of those held captive.
We would like to take this opportunity to recognize the enormous efforts of all those in the international community who worked relentlessly to accomplish this major achievement. We hope and trust that this first stage of the ceasefire truly signals the end of the Gaza War, and that any further disagreements between the parties will be resolved through negotiation and mediation, applying the utmost restraint, rather than the resumption of hostilities. Indeed, our region as a whole has suffered long enough to contemplate otherwise. Now is clearly the time to embark upon the very long pathway of healing and reconciliation that is so profoundly needed between Palestinians and Israelis.
We are especially encouraged by the commitment demonstrated by the participants of the Sharm El–Sheikh Summit marking the commencement of this agreement, and by many other international actors, and we hope that this impressive global mobilization will soon materialize into a wide–scale humanitarian operation that offers immediate relief to the Palestinians of Gaza and to other communities in our region that continue to suffer displacement, death, injuries, hunger, and loss of livelihood. We therefore call for
a rapid surge into the Gaza strip and other affected communities of not only food, clean water, fuel, and medical supplies, but also temporary shelters and medical facilities—all as a prelude to a speedily enacted and exhaustive program for the massive clearing and rebuilding of destroyed homes, businesses, and civilian infrastructure.
At the same time, we continue to view with great concern the increasing violence against local communities in the West Bank in connection with settlement expansions there. We therefore appeal to the concerned parties and the international community as a whole to widen the scope of the current negotiations to include an end of the Occupation of both the West Bank and Gaza, leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state living side–by–side in peace with the present State of Israel. Only in this way, we believe, will a just and lasting peace be truly established in the Holy Land and throughout the larger Middle East.
We would also like to give a special word of encouragement to those living inside St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church and Holy Family Catholic Church, as well as those serving at Al–Ahli Anglican Hospital: Your perseverance in faith amidst the immeasurable hardships of the past two years has served as a shining example for us all. We pledge to you our continued prayers and support, where we will work diligently to ensure that the weeks and months ahead will be a vindication of your trust in God’s divine providence.
In this spirit, we join with our fellow Christians and others of goodwill around the world in giving thanks to the Almighty for leading us to this auspicious moment, even as we realize that the work of peacebuilding has only just begun. May God grant us all the grace to rededicate ourselves to this vital task, shepherding us toward that golden age of peace so long envisioned by the prophets and sages of old—and for which our Lord Jesus Christ himself gave up his own life, rising to new life beyond the grave.
—The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem