Catholic groups call for cease-fire in Gaza, release of Israeli hostages

(LAURETTA BROWN. National Catholic Reporter).

More than 2,500 Catholic bishops, priests, women religious, academics, laypeople and Catholic groups have called for a cease-fire in Gaza in a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders.

“We continue to plead for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and adherence to international law by all parties,” they wrote, citing the calls of Pope Francis and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for a cease-fire in the region as well.

They highlighted statistics that over 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israel’s “military assault marked by indiscriminate bombing.”

The letter added that “tens of thousands more are severely injured without access to adequate medical care; half of Gazans are facing famine; and most have been displaced from their homes, 70% of which have been destroyed.”

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