A new hospital is to be built in Gaza under a joint initiative backed by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Italian Episcopal Conference, as the devastating war between Hamas and Israel appears to finally have a chance of being replaced by a long-term ceasefire and maybe even by peace.
The announcement was made by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and by Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi, Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). The project, unveiled during the archbishop’s recent visit to the Holy Land, is intended to respond directly to the worsening humanitarian and health crisis in the territory.
The hospital will be established through a partnership between the Latin Patriarchate and the CEI, which has for years supported a range of social projects in the region. Monsignor Baturi said in a press release that the Italian bishops wanted to channel their resources into “a concrete commitment that will mobilise a lot of energy”, aimed at addressing what he described as “a very serious health problem”.
Cardinal Pizzaballa welcomed the announcement, expressing gratitude for the Italian Church’s solidarity and describing the project as “a sign of hope” for a population enduring immense suffering.
The plan forms part of a wider network of CEI-backed initiatives focused on housing, employment and education across the West Bank and Gaza, with the Patriarchate acting as both a coordinating and mediating presence on the ground.
Archbishop Baturi’s visit to the region included meetings with local communities, as well as visits to villages where ongoing Italian-funded projects have supported Christian families struggling to remain in their ancestral homeland.
Gaza’s healthcare system has been brought to the brink of collapse after months of heavy bombardment, severe shortages of medical supplies and repeated damage to infrastructure.
Most hospitals are no longer fully operational, and doctors have been forced to perform emergency procedures in makeshift conditions.
The new hospital project aims to provide lasting medical support to Gaza’s civilians and strengthen the Church’s pastoral presence in one of the region’s most fragile areas.
It continues a long tradition of Italian Catholic aid to the Holy Land, particularly through CEI-funded schools, clinics and social programmes.
Cardinal Pizzaballa expressed his gratitude for the initiative, saying that in situations of “great pain and suffering, it is necessary to have someone by your side who supports and helps you”, adding that such efforts “become a sign of hope”.
Photo: A nurse cares for a prematurely born baby lying inside an infant incubator at the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, 15 March 2025.(Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images.)
