WCC news: WCC celebrates exchange of hostages and prisoners, prays for those still unjustly detained in Gaza

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay celebrated with families to whom loved ones have been restored in an initial exchanges of hostages and prisoners in Gaza. “We pray that all the remaining hostages and all those unjustly detained will soon be released,” he said.  Sunrays reach over a stone building near Jaffa gate in the Jerusalem old city. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 20 January 2025 “We also share in the relief that the entire population of Gaza feels at this respite from constant bombardment and fear for their lives, as well as the despair of those who are returning to homes and communities that have been obliterated in the unrestrained violence of Israel’s attacks.” Pillay offered prayers that this respite will extend into a sustained peace, and that the humanitarian assistance urgently needed by the people of Gaza will be provided at the massive scale required to avert further loss of life and of hope. “The World Council of Churches laments the fact that it has taken 15 months, and the loss of 46,000 lives – the majority of them women and children – for the conflict parties to reach agreement for this ceasefire to halt at least temporarily the killing and destruction,” he said. “We appeal to them now to make the ceasefire permanent, and to commit to negotiations on the root causes of the violence and repeated cycles of conflict in the region, to ensure a sustainable peace founded upon equal human rights and justice for all in the region.” Pillay concluded: “In the meantime, we highlight the renewed upsurge of violence by settlers in the West Bank since the Gaza ceasefire was announced, and underline the necessity of working for peace and for justice for all the people of Palestine. May the quest for just peace be the foundation on which we seek to build a better world for all people and creation.” Read the full comment of the WCC general secretary WCC welcomes news of ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas (WCC news release, 16 January 2025) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland