Senior Christian leaders in Jerusalem have appealed to Israeli authorities to allow children from the Gaza Strip suffering from leukemia to travel to Jerusalem for life-saving medical treatment.

In a joint statement published on December 17, 2025, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and the heads of Christian Churches in the Holy Land called for urgent permits to be granted so that young patients can be treated at Augusta Victoria Hospital, located on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem.

According to the statement, Augusta Victoria is one of the few medical facilities in the region capable of providing specialized oncology care for children—treatment that is currently unavailable in Gaza. The church leaders stressed that the hospital is ready to cover all costs associated with the process, including transportation, medical treatment and ongoing care. Once therapy is completed, the children would be returned to Gaza, the statement said, with no financial burden placed on Israel.

The religious leaders emphasized the urgency of the request, warning that delays in treating cancer can be fatal. They called on Israeli authorities to issue permits as quickly as possible, describing the appeal as a purely humanitarian effort aimed at protecting the lives of gravely ill children.

The appeal comes amid continued warnings from international organizations about the dire state of Gaza’s healthcare system. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that since mid-2024, more than 1,000 patients have died while waiting for medical evacuation. Tens of thousands of Gaza residents, including a large number of children, still require treatment outside the enclave.

Gaza’s health system has been in acute crisis following more than two years of fighting and a prolonged blockade. WHO reports indicate that many hospitals have been destroyed or are no longer functioning. Facilities that remain open are overwhelmed and face severe shortages of fuel, medicines and medical staff.

An estimated 16,000 to 16,500 people in Gaza require urgent medical care that is unavailable locally, including thousands of children. WHO has repeatedly called for additional evacuation routes to be opened and urged more countries to accept patients for treatment.

The medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has also reported critical conditions for both patients and staff. In 2025, the organization partially suspended operations in Gaza due to security risks, although some services have resumed following a ceasefire.

According to Reuters, new Israeli rules on the registration of non-governmental organizations could significantly restrict the work of Doctors Without Borders and other international aid groups starting in 2026. Last week, the United Nations and more than 200 humanitarian organizations warned that bureaucratic obstacles and access restrictions could lead to the collapse of humanitarian operations in Gaza.

In their statement, the Christian leaders in Jerusalem reiterated that their appeal is focused solely on humanitarian concerns and the protection of the most vulnerable—children whose lives depend on timely medical care.