Caritas Internationalis, one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world, has denounced “the siege of Gaza” by Israel, which, the group said, “has become a machinery of annihilation, sustained by impunity and the silence, or complicity, of powerful nations.” It called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza.

In a statement issued today, Aug. 25, from its headquarters in the Vatican, under the title “Man-Made Famine and Assault on Gaza City,” Caritas Internationalis described the famine in Gaza, recently confirmed by the United Nations, as “the outcome of a deliberate strategy: blocking aid, bombing food convoys, destroying infrastructure, and denying basic needs.”

It recalled that on Aug. 20, “Israeli forces stormed Gaza City, where nearly one million displaced civilians had sought refuge, many already starving. Two days later, on August 22nd, the United Nations declared a famine. By then, the damage was done: 273 people had already died of starvation, including 112 children.”

The U.N. declaration of famine, it said, “was not a warning, but a grim confirmation of what humanitarian organisations have been saying for months: Gazans have long endured a deliberate descent into starvation.”

“This is not war. It is the systematic destruction of civilian life,” the group said.

In the statement sent to the international media, Caritas Internationalis said it “bears witness to this horror” in which “civilians, mostly children and women, are being starved, bombed, and erased.”

It denounced the fact that “influential governments, corporations, and multinationals have enabled this catastrophe through military support, financial aid, and diplomatic cover” and said, “[t]heir silence is not neutrality, it is endorsement.”

“The famine in Gaza is a test of moral integrity, and too many have failed,” it said. “To starve a population is to desecrate life. To remain silent is to be complicit.”

It said “these acts and omissions…represent a blatant disregard for the values and fundamental principles of humanity and clearly violate International Law, International Humanitarian Law, and International Human Rights Law, as well as numerous provisions of specific UN Conventions, including the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

Gaza is an enclave about the size of Philadelphia with a population of some 2.1 million Palestinians. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has described it as “an open-air prison,” where the entry and exit of people is entirely controlled by Israel. Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed there by Israeli forces, including over 18,000 children.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 164 national Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in more than 200 countries and territories. Its general secretariat is based in the Vatican, headed by Alistair Dutton. It is “a Catholic organization and so besides giving humanitarian assistance we have to bring hope to people, hope for life, hope for the future,” Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, the archbishop of Tokyo and current president of the confederation, said at a Vatican press briefing in May 2023.

Caritas Internationalis concluded its statement today with seven specific demands, many of which the Holy See has already called for:

  1. An immediate and permanent ceasefire.
  2. Unrestricted humanitarian access to end starvation and provide care.
  3. Release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained persons.
  4. Deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to protect civilians.
  5. Protection of all civilians, especially children, women, and the elderly.
  6. Accountability for all perpetrators and enablers before national and international courts.
  7. Full implementation of the ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 19, 2024, including: Ending Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ceasing settlement activity and evacuating settlers, Providing reparations, Requiring states to reject the unlawful situation, Mandating UN bodies to take concrete steps to end the occupation.

Caritas Internationalis ended with an appeal to “all people of faith and conscience,” asking them “to raise their voices, pressure their governments, and demand justice. The world is watching. History is recording. And Gaza is waiting, not for words, but for salvation.”

Gerard O’Connell is America’s senior Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History. He has been covering the Vatican since 1985.