CAFOD statement on Gaza ceasefire

In response to the news - according to the US and Hamas - that an agreement for an initial pause in hostilities has been reached, Janet Symes, CAFOD's Head of Region for Asia and the Middle East, said: 

“This temporary pause will bring a welcome respite in hostilities, but it is vital this pause extends into a long-term ceasefire, a sustainable, just and lasting peace, and an end to the occupation to end the suffering of people in Gaza, bringing peace and security across the region.

"Our thoughts are with our partners in Gaza, who have continued to deliver vital aid to their communities despite the loss of some of their staff, repeated displacement, and the daily challenge to find food, find fuel and protect precarious shelters from the winter elements, even though the airstrikes are targeting areas they are told are safe. They have told us that they are hopeful that this pause in the conflict will help them reach more communities and provide the support they urgently need."

Notes for media

• CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and part of Caritas International, working with communities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America to fight poverty and injustice. The agency works with people in need, regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.

• CAFOD is working with Christian, Jewish, Muslim and secular partners in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel and Lebanon, with the aim of tackling the humanitarian crisis, protecting human rights and contributing towards building more peaceful communities.

• Contact Rosalind Mayfield (rmayfield@cafod.org.uk, +44 (0)7856 799169) at the CAFOD Media Centre for more information or to request media interviews. Our latest statements as this story develops will be posted on X/Twitter and Bluesky.