People in Gaza are facing starvation, and more Jewish groups have joined global religious voices in stepped-up calls for immediate aid and respect for human life as Israeli hoztages stay captured and the war in the territory.

The calls follow a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that large sections of Gaza's population are now experiencing starvation according to America, the Jesuit Review.

More than 400 rabbis have signed a letter urging the Israeli government to allow aid into Gaza, halt settler violence, and pursue peace.

Jewish leaders from around the world are calling on Israel to respect all innocent life.

The letter urges the Israeli government to permit the entry of "extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza under international supervision, while guarding against control or theft by Hamas."

And the co-leaders of Progressive Judaism published an open letter last week stating that the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza is "not in our name," The Jewish Chronicle reported on July 28.

They condemned the war in Gaza, which they say "allows children to starve".

Israel stopped aid deliveries to Gaza in early March following a two-month ceasefire, citing factors including Hamas stealing the aid supply.

The Jewish leaders' letter cites "the sanctity of life" and core Torah values, including the belief that "every person is created in God's image" and the commandment to "treat every human being justly."

The letter also refers to violence in the West Bank, where Palestinian residents have for years faced encroachment and harassment by Israeli residents.

The rabbis have called on Israeli authorities to "use the forces of law and order to end settler violence on the West Bank and vigorously investigate and prosecute settlers who harass and assault Palestinians."

The letter describes "the severe limitation placed on humanitarian relief in Gaza" and "the policy of withholding of food, water, and medical supplies from a needy civilian population" as being in conflict with Jewish values.

"Repeated statements of intention and actions by ministers in the Israeli government, by some officers in the Israeli army, and the behaviour of criminally violent settler groups in the West Bank, often with police and military support, have been major factors in bringing us to this crisis," reads the letter.

The letter urges political dialogue, calling for "open channels of dialogue together with international partners to lead toward a just settlement, ensuring security for Israel, dignity and hope for Palestinians, and a viable peaceful future for all the region."

     - PIERCED BY WOUNDS OF WAR

Separately speaking after the recitation of the regular "Angelus Prayer" on Sunday, July 27, Pope Leo XIV said that he is following with deep concern the extremely grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the civilian population is being crushed by hunger and continues to be exposed to violence and death.

"Every human being has an intrinsic dignity bestowed by God Himself. I urge all parties in every conflict to recognise this dignity and to cease all actions that violate it."ian O

Further, in a joint press conference held July 22 July in Jerusalem, Theophilos III, the Christian Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch (Roman Catholic) in Jerusalem, delivered a pastoral and humanitarian testimony after a visit to Gaza.

There, they said they had witnessed firsthand the immense suffering endured by its people under bombardment, siege, and deprivation.

In his address, Patriarch Theophilos III described Gaza as "a land pierced by the wounds of war, where the innocent bleed beneath the weight of a merciless assault."

Patriarchs Theophilos III and Pizzaballa underscored that the ongoing destruction in Gaza is a humanitarian and moral catastrophe that cannot be ignored.

Rev. Prof. Michel Abs, secretary general of the Middle East Council of Churches, expressed his feelings through a poem, part of which reads:

"From beneath the rubble, we call to you.

"From the heart of tragedy, we cry out.

"We are the children of Palestine, the people of Gaza, abandoned by all the nations of the world, betrayed by governments that defied their own people who stood in solidarity with us."

On July 19, the Muslim Council of Elders, led by Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, condemned Israeli attacks, saying they violate international laws, and warning of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The general secretary of the ACT Alliance general secretary Rudelmar Bueno de Faria said that the starvation in Gaza is a deep wound on the conscience of humanity.

"Turning humanitarian aid into a weapon of war is a grave violation of international law and human dignity," he said. "People of faith cannot remain silent in the face of such suffering. We call for an immediate ceasefire, full and sustained humanitarian access, and an end to the siege that is suffocating millions of innocent lives."

    - LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION 

The Lutheran World Federation general secretary Rev. Anne Burghardt also expressed deep concern.

"We cannot look away as children are starving and people are unable to safely collect water from aid points," she said. "Our humanitarian colleagues are suffering alongside the rest of the population."

Many of them are hungry, exhausted, and struggling to carry out their duties to care for others, explained Burghardt.

"One of them told us: 'We see the toll in each other's faces – our bodies thinning day by day since the ceasefire collapsed. The hunger is no longer invisible,' " Burghardt said.

"We reiterate our call for an end to the conflict and unhindered access for those seeking to alleviate the suffering in Gaza."

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people captive.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The ministry says more than half the dead are women and children.