The images emerging from Gaza are almost unbearable to witness — unidentified bodies pulled from the rubble, streets filled with the dead, and families shattered beyond recognition. With the infrastructure completely destroyed, life as Gazan’s knew it, no longer exists. Buildings, houses, hospitals, schools, churches and mosques, are completely destroyed. These are not isolated tragedies; they are the visible scars of a humanitarian catastrophe that continues despite what was meant to be a ceasefire.

In the last few days, pictures of deceased Palestinian hostages released from Israeli prisons raise serious human rights concerns about the conditions of their detention: hands bound behind their backs, bodies showing clear marks of abuse, some even with indications of organ theft. These are not simply allegations from activists. This is documented by human rights organizations which is confirmed by the physical evidence seen on the ground.

Dr. Ahmed Duheir, director of forensic medicine at Nasser Hospital, says their forensics team confirmed the bodies showed signs of physical abuse. He said the first batch of bodies arrived Tuesday, and all of them had their hands or feet bound. “The bodies transferred Wednesday had also been bound, and several had blindfolds over their eyes. Some remains had already begun to decompose, making it more difficult to identify them.”

Despite the announcement of a ceasefire, Israel continues to bombard Gaza. Just days ago, an airstrike killed eleven members of one Palestinian family — a chilling reminder that this so-called pause in fighting has brought little peace to those trapped in Gaza. Each air strike, erases entire bloodlines and makes clear that this is not a war for defense, but a campaign of systematic and sustained destruction.

Gaza’s media office has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with Hamas 47 times since the truce came into effect in early October, killing 38 Palestinians and wounding another 143. These violations have included crimes of direct gunfire targeting civilians, deliberate shelling, and the arrest of a number of civilians, reflecting the occupation’s continued policy of aggression despite the declared end of the war. Western governments have placed immense pressure on recovery teams to locate the remains of Israeli hostages, many of whom were killed by Israel’s own airstrikes. Yet the thousands of Palestinians still buried beneath Gaza’s ruins receive little mention, their humanity given less weight in global calculations of grief.

The Rafah border crossing remains closed, choking off access to aid and denying civilians their only lifeline to the outside world. This defiance of international agreements underscores a grim truth: Israel acts with impunity, disregarding even the mediation of ceasefire deals. The President of the United States has chosen silence in the face of blatant violations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement within minutes, saying that the Rafah crossing wouldn't reopen ‘until further notice,’ adding that it would depend on how Hamas fulfils its role in returning all the bodies of the dead hostages. This statement from Netanyahu’s office reflects his government’s growing disrespect for international norms and humanitarian obligations — demanding compliance from others while violating the ceasefire himself through continued bombardment and the deliberate closure of Gaza’s lifeline.

In the West Bank, settler violence continues to escalate. Backed and protected by the Israeli army, settlers have attacked Palestinian communities, burning homes, uprooting families, and shooting civilians. When Palestinians try to defend their land, they are met with arrests or bullets. The West Bank continues to be an open prison. Villages and cities are isolated by newly installed military gates and checkpoints that have turned daily life into a form of imprisonment. These are opened and closed arbitrarily making daily commutes or emergency transport a catastrophe for Palestinians livelihood.

Recently released Palestinian prisoners, some of whom spent more than thirty years behind bars, live with constant fear of re-arrest. Their freedom is conditional, fragile, and shadowed by the knowledge that Israel has repeatedly violated previous hostage exchange agreements, and many have been deported to exile directly from prisons to neighboring countries without even having a chance to see their families.

Even beyond Gaza and the West Bank, Israel’s military actions in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire’s second day demonstrate a broader pattern: a state that sustains itself through continuous conflict.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza continue to die — not only from bombs, but from hunger. With supplies restricted and infrastructure destroyed, the United Nations estimates that at least $70 billion will be needed to rebuild Gaza. Yet for the people of Gaza, rebuilding cannot begin until the bombs stop falling, and aid starts flowing in, regularly and with no restrictions by Israel.

This is not a conflict of equals. It is an occupation: one that has persisted for decades under the pretext of security, betraying the very foundations of human dignity and international law.

To the global Christian community, and in particular the Catholic faithful in Canada: silence is no longer an option. The Church has always stood for the sanctity of life, for justice, and for the defense of the oppressed. Now, those principles demand action. The people of Palestine, Muslims and Christians, are enduring one of the darkest chapters in modern history. We bear witness to this, and we will be held accountable for our silence, our explicit silence. Their suffering requires that we heed the Gospel’s commandment to love our neighbor, to stand with the persecuted, and to speak truth in the face of power.

The emptiness that will be felt by the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters of Gaza should also disturb our comfort. Can we hear the weeping of these families for the loss of a loved one and the devastation of their homeland? Are the Palestinian people, of Gaza and the occupied territories, really our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Pope Leo XIV in Dilexi Te suggests that there is a consistent tradition in Catholic social doctrine that requires a response to the call of the poor. It can be done. “Christian love breaks down every barrier, brings close those who were distant, unites strangers, and reconciles enemies. It spans chasms that are humanly impossible to bridge, and it penetrates to the most hidden crevices of society. By its very nature, Christian love is prophetic: it works miracles and knows no limits. It makes what was apparently impossible happen. Love is above all a way of looking at life and a way of living it. A Church that sets no limits to love, that knows no enemies to fight but only men and women to love, is the Church that the world needs today.”(DT120)

Now is the time for the Canadian Catholic community to raise its voice, in prayer and concrete action for a Free Palestine. Faith without justice is hollow, and peace without freedom is impossible.