News

Order of Malta at UN conference joins calls for desperately needed aid into Gaza

The Order of Malta addressed the United Nations high-level international conference (28-30 July) on ‘The peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the Two-State Solution’, affirming that it is “ready to offer its full support to reconstruction and development efforts across the Palestinian territories.” Chargé d’Affaires at the Order’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Brien Purcell Horan, joined others in stating the urgent need for “a cessation of all acts of violence that breach international law and humanitarian principles.”

“We urgently call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for the unimpeded and sustained delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he said. “Humanitarian organisations must be granted access to provide assistance without obstruction, under clear guarantees of safety and security, both for the affected civilian population and for the personnel delivering life-saving aid, in accordance with international law.”

The Order of Malta’s humanitarian activities in Palestine are currently focused on the aid project in Gaza City carried out through Malteser International, in collaboration with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Holy Family parish in Gaza, which was recently hit by a raid. Since May 2024, 200 tons of food have been delivered to over 25,000 civilians.

“The scale of human suffering has become unimaginable. The images we continue to witness daily, of infants and children so severely malnourished they appear skeletal, unable even to cry, are a stark indicator of desperate urgency. This must not be allowed to continue,” Purcell Horan emphasised. “Our duty is clear: to ensure that the most vulnerable are not forgotten as the world works toward a peaceful and sustainable solution.”

Beyond the aid project in Gaza City, there is also the work of the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, which has been providing high-quality mother and child care in the West Bank since 1990. The hospital is the only facility in the region that can handle premature births, thanks to an 18-bed neonatal intensive care unit. This makes it a point of reference for all pregnant women in the area, particularly those who need specialised care. With Muslim and Christian doctors, midwives and nurses working together, the staff guarantee a service without distinction of belief or social condition, offering assistance at reduced cost or completely free of charge.

Cardinal Pizzaballa in Gaza. Photo credit: (c)LPJ 2025