Gaza City/Rome/Cologne – On Monday 22nd June, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem blessed the Order of Malta’s clinic in Gaza City, in the presence of His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine and Jordan. Following this blessing, around thirty staff members, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, will begin providing primary health care to up to one hundred sick people every day. The clinic was established under a partnership between the Order of Malta and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Its activities are coordinated by Malteser International, the Order of Malta’s humanitarian aid agency.

“Medical care for people in Gaza is currently in a catastrophic state,” says Dr. Ali Ibrahim Al-Musaddar, Medical Director of the clinic. “Violence continues despite the ceasefire. Sixty percent of health facilities have been completely destroyed and many more severely damaged.” Sanitary conditions are extremely poor. “Skin diseases are spreading,” says Dr. Al-Musaddar. “Nearly the entire population has been repeatedly displaced and is dependent on humanitarian aid. They are arriving here sick, exhausted, and deeply traumatized in urgent need of help.”

“The blessing of the clinic by the Latin Patriarch on the eve of the feast of St. John the Baptist, patron of the Order, which is celebrated on 24 June, is a historic milestone,” said Dr. Josef Blotz, Grand Hospitaller of the Order, who is responsible for the Order of Malta’s charitable and medical works. “Over nine hundred years after our foundation here, we continue to serve people in need in the Holy Land regardless of their religion or background. This clinic will provide lifesaving medical care to people in need. It will also show them that they are not forgotten. We are now working actively to deepen our engagement in these most difficult circumstances.”

Funding and in-kind support for the clinic is provided by the German Foreign Office, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aktion Deutschland Hilft, UNICEF, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Archdiocese of Munich and Paderborn. Since the start of the Gaza war in 2023, Malteser International has been able to provide approximately 25,000 people living in and near the parish with more than 200 tons of life-saving supplies.

 

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a primary subject of international law and Catholic and lay religious order. Its mission is to bear witness to the faith and assist the poor and sick. The Order of Malta is mainly active in health and social care and humanitarian aid, operating in over 130 countries. Together with its 13,500 members, it has 100,000 volunteers supported by some 60,000 doctors, nurses and paramedics. The Order manages hospitals, healthcare clinics, out-patient units, institutes for the elderly and disabled, palliative care centres as well as projects for health and social care and psychological assistance for migrants and refugees. It has bilateral diplomatic relations with 115 States, official relations with another 4 States, and relations at ambassadorial level with the European Union and African Union. It has the status of Permanent Observer to the United Nations and is represented in the main international organizations. Since 1834, the seat of the Order of Malta’s government has been in Rome. The 81st Grand Master is Fra’ John T. Dunlap.

Malteser International (MI) is the international humanitarian aid organization of the Catholic Sovereign Order of Malta. It fulfills the Order’s mission of “service to the poor and the sick.” The organization provides aid to people, regardless of their religion, political beliefs, origin, or sex. Catholic values and the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence form the foundation of its work. Further information: www.malteser-international.org

Photo Credits: LPJ-Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The Order’s Emergency Relief fund is to assist in times of crisis, including refugee support and emergency relief to those impacted by disaster or conflict