The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) welcomes the news of a ceasefire in the war in Gaza. Our hope is that the terms of the agreement will indeed be finalized and honored, and that it will go into effect in the coming days.
Since October 2023, when Hamas brutally attacked civilians in Israel, and during the heavy Israeli military response over the last 15 months, the churches have called for an end to the violence, and, indeed for peace. It is our prayer that this ceasefire will hold, its phased milestones will be met, and that it will be extended past its initial timeframe until a permanent peace agreement can be established.
More than 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed in that horrific, initial attack, and more than 250 people were taken hostage. To date, 117 of these hostages have been released or rescued; 74 have been confirmed dead, killed either by their captors or mistakenly by the Israeli military. This leaves just over 60 hostages yet to be released as a result of this agreement. It has been reported that many of the remaining hostages are indeed deceased and that their remains will be returned along with the living hostages. Our continued prayers are with the remaining hostages and the loved ones of all impacted.
Since the military response began, at least 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians, and Gaza has been laid in ruins by violence that many observers have considered genocidal, or nearly so. The rebuilding of that territory, and the rebuilding of peaceful relations, will take generations. As this process begins to unfold, on the immediate horizon, Gaza’s humanitarian needs must be met. The ceasefire is the first step in the rebuilding process.
Peace is not a blessing that magically occurs. It is a blessing inspired by God, and one that takes human beings to build and to make real and lasting. It is up to the Israelis — both the government and the citizens — and up to the Palestinians — those who yearn for a homeland free of enmity and strife — to nurture that peace and see it to fruition. And it is up to the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, three countries that helped to broker this ceasefire, along with the entire international community, especially the United Nations, to accompany the Israelis and Palestinians toward full and lasting peace.
For far too long, the people of the Holy Land have found the vision of the prophet Micah elusive.
He shall judge between many peoples and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore;
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid (Micah 4:3-4. NRSVue).
The time has come to begin the hard work of leaving behind weapons of war and picking up the tools we need to sow seeds of peace. May we all soon realize a time when nations no longer lift their swords against others, and all may sit in peace under their vine and fig tree.
May it be so.