“I am writing this message from a small tent in southern Gaza. I am here, forcibly displaced from my destroyed home.
Even during the so-called “ceasefire,” the sounds of shelling never truly stop. Still, we try to hold on to fragments of hope.
We see children smile through fear, and women share food despite exhaustion.
My message to you is simple but urgent: do not leave Gaza alone.
We need your voices, your pressure, and your advocacy,
to open the crossings, protect civilians, and empower local organizations to fulfill their life-saving roles.”
Amani, volunteer with a partner organization in Gaza
On October 10, a fragile ceasefire began in Gaza. This news was met with relief and cautious optimism. Act Church of Sweden joins our partners in welcoming the ceasefire, which we hope will hold, and we celebrate with Israeli and Palestinian families who are being reunited with their loved ones. There is great relief—but also profound sorrow. We share the pain of lost friends and colleagues, of families torn apart, and of lives that will never be whole again.
Despite the long-awaited ceasefire, peace is still far away. Guns have not yet been silenced. Gaza lies in ruins. People are returning to what once were their homes, only to find rubble, hunger, and unbearable loss. Humanitarian aid continues to be used as a tool of political pressure and remains far too limited. While trucks carrying supplies are halted at the border, people continue to starve. The need for care—both physical and psychological—is overwhelming, especially among children.
The ceasefire must become a lasting truce. Humanitarian aid must reach civilians in Gaza. Meanwhile, violence continues to escalate in the West Bank, where the physical and psychological space for Palestinians to live is shrinking day by day. For many in Israel, October 7 2023 remains an ongoing trauma.
Together with our sister organizations in the ACT Palestine Forum, we appeal:
“The cry for justice and peace cannot remain unanswered. The ceasefire is not the realization of peace and must not be the silence of indifference; it is the beginning of restoration, accountability and hope”
Lift the blockade for unhindered humanitarian access
Act Church of Sweden continues to demand full and unrestricted humanitarian access for both the UN and independent humanitarian organizations to deliver emergency relief—including food, medicine, fuel, and shelter. All border crossings must be opened immediately and unconditionally; the needs are immense. Established international organizations are being prevented from delivering aid due to Israel’s requirement for re-registration—a heavily criticized process that undermines the fundamental principles of humanitarian work.
The distribution of emergency aid must once again be led by the UN, including UNRWA, which continues to play a vital and extensive role in the humanitarian response despite Israel’s ban and Sweden’s defunding.
For two years, Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem has been waiting to treat cancer patients from Gaza. As patients have been denied travel permits, several have died—either from bombs during the war or because they were prevented from receiving treatment. The medical evacuation that Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem have been requesting for two years must now take place without delay. Many lives could have been saved if the political will had existed. Let us not allow more lives to be lost. The Swedish government has stated its readiness to assist. In addition to funding, political pressure is essential—not only for cancer patients but for all those in need of medical care.
Ensure and protect journalism from Gaza
Palestinian journalists have been a target in Israel's war on Gaza. The international community must demand that they be protected and allowed to carry out their journalistic work without fear of attack. International journalists must be allowed into Gaza and permitted to report freely. The lack of transparency in Gaza during the war has been devastating and has left the field open to disinformation and outright lies, as the Swedish journalist Bitte Hammargren highlights in her article “Both Israel and Hamas are fighting against freedom of the press” The same article emphasizes that foreign journalists are necessary to convey the many voices critical of Hamas in Gaza, a task that is fraught with great danger for Gaza's own journalists. The last few weeks alone have shown that Hamas does not shy away from executing its opponents.
Release all arbitrarily detained persons
We are relieved that Israelis and Palestinians who have been held hostage and arbitrarily detained have been reunited with their families. Even the dead must be allowed to return home and be buried with dignity. At the same time, we reiterate that all arbitrarily imprisoned Palestinians must be released. This includes those who are unlawfully detained without charge or trial in so-called administrative detention. One of them is the Christian student Layan Nasir, who was imprisoned for the third time on October 9, again without charge. Act Church of Sweden drew attention to Layan's case in August 2024, when she was held without charge for eight months.
In the report “Welcome to Hell”, the Israeli human rights organization and Act Church of Sweden partner B'Tselem describes systematic abuse and inhumane treatment of Palestinians who have been and continue to be held in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023. This involves a network of facilities where each prisoner is deliberately subjected to severe, relentless pain and suffering. B'Tselem’s report shows that these facilities operate as de-facto torture camps.
Layan Nasir, and everyone else in her situation, must be released immediately.
Peace is far away
In the West Bank, violence, forced displacement, and settlement expansion have escalated over the past two years. Violent Israeli settlers, armed and protected by the Israeli government, continue to terrorize Palestinian communities. The occupation's grip is tightening, and restrictions on movement are now so extensive that people are trapped in their communities and villages. The physical and psychological space for Palestinians to live in their own country is shrinking day by day. There is a deep divide between the international community's diplomatic ambitions for a two-state solution and the reality on the ground. If political leaders are serious about their commitment to the right of Israeli and Palestinian peoples to live in freedom and security, strong action and tangible diplomatic measures are required.
In anticipation of peace, protective presence is more vital than ever. In communities such as Masafer Yatta south of Hebron and Tent of Nations outside Bethlehem, Palestinians are fighting against forced displacement and recurring settler violence. They tell us that international protective presence, not least in the form of Ecumenical Accompaniers, is their only remaining protection.
Accountability necessary for peace
There is no doubt that extensive violations of international law have been committed during the last two years of war, but also before that. The need for accountability remains urgent. The legal proceedings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding South Africa's application of genocide and the UN General Assembly's request for an investigation into the legality of the occupation must be respected and the decisions complied with. The same applies to the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant (as well as the three Hamas representatives Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, and Ismail Haniya, who have since been killed by Israeli forces).
In a statement issued in June, the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches welcomed the South African government's efforts to seek justice and accountability under international law through its referral to the ICJ. The World Council of Churches calls on churches around the world to bear witness, speak out, and take action.
In July 2024, the ICJ ruled that Israel's presence and annexation in the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal, as are the Israeli settlements. The court calls on the international community not to contribute to maintaining this illegal situation – this applies to all economic relations. Act Church of Sweden therefore calls for a ban on all trade with Israeli settlements, together with over 80 other civil society organizations in a global campaign.
International courts are under attack. It is of utmost importance that Sweden and other Member States stand up for the integrity of the courts and take responsibility for ensuring that the outcomes of legal proceedings are respected and implemented.
Reconstruction – of both buildings and human dignity
When the bombs fall silent, families are reunited, and humanitarian aid finally reaches those who so desperately need it, the devastation becomes painfully clear. In the silence, grief takes hold – and with it, responsibility. The international community has a moral responsibility to support fair and sustainable reconstruction. The reconstruction of Gaza must be carried out with respect for Palestinian self-determination. The obvious needs to be stated: Gaza's future must be decided by the people of Gaza themselves.
The healthcare system in Gaza has been destroyed as a result of Israel's targeted attacks. The Nordic medical associations have stated that this constitutes a medical emergency that requires immediate and coordinated international action.
Schools and universities lie in ruins. Education must be prioritized, and schools must once again become places of learning and safety—not temporary refugee camps that could be hit by bombs at any moment. Education is not only a human right—it is an investment in hope for the future.
Two churches in Gaza City have become refuges for one of the world's oldest Christian communities. Despite this, the churches have also been hit by Israeli attacks, and many members of the congregations have been killed. The churches need to be rebuilt, protected, and respected as Holy places.
For several years, the Lutheran art center run by Dar al-Kalima in Gaza City has been an oasis of freedom and hope for many of Gaza's young people. There, students have been able to develop their skills and get an education. Dar al-Kalima has also helped put Gaza's art scene on the world map and provided artists with a network of contacts outside Gaza. The center was completely destroyed in an Israeli air strike during Easter last year. The war on Gaza has claimed many victims; art as a refuge is one of them.
A lasting ceasefire must lead to reconstruction – both of buildings and of human dignity.
The statement was published in Swedish on October 21
ACT Palestine Forum statement on ceasefire (October 15)
Statement by The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem (October 14)