Caritas Internationalis has condemned the escalating famine in Gaza as a deliberate assault on human life, labeling it a blatant violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Newsroom (25/08/2025, Gaudium Press) In a poignant cry for justice rooted in the Gospel’s call to protect the vulnerable, Caritas Internationalis has condemned the escalating famine in Gaza as a deliberate assault on human life, labeling it a blatant violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Drawing from Catholic social teaching and the words of Pope Leo XIV, the international confederation of Catholic aid organizations urges the global community to act swiftly, emphasizing that true faith demands solidarity with the suffering and an end to complicity in such horrors.
The statement, released in response to Israeli forces’ incursion into Gaza City on August 20—a refuge for nearly one million displaced civilians—comes amid what Caritas describes as a “machinery of annihilation.” Just two days later, on August 22, the United Nations formally declared a famine in the besieged enclave, confirming reports from humanitarian groups that starvation had already claimed 273 lives, including 112 children. “This is not war,” the Caritas statement asserts. “It is the systematic destruction of civilian life.”
From a Catholic lens, this crisis strikes at the core of human dignity, a foundational principle enshrined in Church doctrine. As Pope Francis teaches in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, “We are either all saved together or no one is saved.” Caritas echoes this, invoking Sacred Scripture to compel action: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8) and the sobering words of Christ in Matthew 25:45, “Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” The organization portrays the famine not as a natural calamity but as a man-made catastrophe, born of “calculated choices” such as blocking aid, bombing food convoys, destroying infrastructure, and denying basic needs. Civilians, especially women and children, bear the heaviest burden, stripped of shelter, sustenance, and safety.
Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s global arm for charitable works, stresses that this siege represents a “deliberate descent into starvation,” enabled by governments, organizations, and corporations through financial, military, and diplomatic support. “Their silence is not neutrality. It is endorsement,” the statement warns, critiquing the international community’s “hollow words” and “double standards” that merely delay further devastation. In the spirit of Catholic moral theology, which views inaction in the face of injustice as complicity, Caritas decries this as a “collapse of moral order, a failure of leadership, responsibility, and humanity itself.”
The organization’s indictment extends to legal realms, asserting that these acts violate International Law, International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law, and key UN conventions, including the Genocide Convention. Caritas abhors these “acts and omissions” as a “blatant disregard for the values and fundamental principles of humanity,” aligning with the Church’s longstanding advocacy for peace and the protection of innocents in conflict zones.
Rooted in faith, Caritas issues urgent demands that reflect the Church’s commitment to life and justice. It calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access for food, medicine, and aid, and the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained persons. The deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to safeguard civilians—particularly children, women, and the elderly—is deemed essential, alongside accountability for perpetrators and enablers through national and international courts.
Furthermore, Caritas urges the full implementation of the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion from July 19, 2024, which declared Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful. This includes halting settlement activities, evacuating settlers, providing reparations, and prompting UN bodies to end the occupation—steps that resonate with the Catholic Church’s calls for equitable resolutions in the Holy Land, a region sacred to Christianity.
“The famine in Gaza is a test of moral integrity, and too many have failed,” the statement concludes. “To starve a population is to desecrate life. To remain silent is to be complicit.” In a direct appeal to Catholics and all people of faith and conscience, Caritas encourages raising voices, pressuring governments, and demanding justice, reminding that “the world is watching. History is recording. And Gaza is waiting, not for words, but for salvation.”
This declaration from Caritas Internationalis serves as a stark reminder of the Church’s prophetic role in confronting injustice, inspired by Christ’s preferential option for the poor and marginalized. As the crisis unfolds, it challenges believers worldwide to embody the mercy and compassion at the heart of the Catholic faith.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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