On August 19, Reverend Glen Ruffle, the Anglican Communion’s Representative to the UN in Geneva, took part in a World Humanitarian Day commemoration.

Held in Geneva, Reverend Ruffle joined with UN staff, diplomats and civil society representatives who gathered to observe a silence for humanitarians that have lost their lives in service to others.

World Humanitarian Day was first marked in 2009 to remember UN staff killed in Baghdad. It has been held every year since to remember the service of humanitarians around the globe.

During today's service, the Master of Ceremony was Mr. Michele Zaccheo, OiC, United Nations Information Service. The service included a wreath laying and candle lightning ceremony. Flowers were laid by the survivors and families of the victims of the attack against the United Nations Offices in Baghdad of 19 August 2003, and other UN Offices.

Speaking of the efforts of humanitarians during the commemoration, Tatiana Valovaya, Director General of the United Nations Office in Geneva spoke about how the work of humanitarian workers embodies the foundational principles of the UN and that World Humanitarian Day is a chance to salute their service to humanity.

A particular focus were the deaths of humanitarians killed in the Israel-Gaza war. Notably, this conflict has seen the highest number of UN staff killed in any single conflict.

Today, Ben Ben Majekodunmi, Chief of Staff, UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine) shared estimates that 298 Humanitarian personnel have been killed, an increase since a UN report published in April 2024 estimated 224 humanitarian personnel had been killed (more than three times as many humanitarian workers killed in any single conflict recorded in a single year).

Speaking of the importance of the commemoration, Reverend Ruffle from the Anglican Communion UN Team drew attention to the work of Anglican health institutions in Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank that are playing a vital part in responding to those harmed by the conflict.

“On the UN team, we are working to represent the important contribution Anglicans and faith groups are making in situations of war and conflict. On World Humanitarian Day we are particularly mindful of Anglican-supported health and humanitarian workers who are providing vital support at this critical time, including through the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza and the Princess Basma Centre in Jerusalem and their outreach clinics. These centres, along with many around the globe, are seeking to bring humanitarian aid in response to the call of Christ to care for and heal this world. We give thanks for their dedication on World Humanitarian Day.”

Celebrating Humanitarians at The Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre

The Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre (JPBC) is run by the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East. It opened in 1964, is part of the local WHO Health Cluster and has been described by patients as a “candle in the dark” for the people of Palestine.

Providing comprehensive rehabilitation programmes and psychosocial support for children from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and most recently in Gaza, delivering emergency orthopaedic surgery, the centre provides vital services for people of all faiths and none.

Before the war, 5-7% of children in Gaza were living with disabilities. It was difficult, given the strict Israeli military controls, for these children and their families to access the help they needed.

Now, in the midst of the conflict, the JPBC say around 50% of cases that their team in Gaza sees are children with disabilities resulting from the war – most frequently burns, amputations, fractures, and spinal/head injuries.

Occupational therapist Al Zahraa has had to move for the fourth time with her family since the Israel-Gazan war began, this time leaving shelters in Rafah (on the Egyptian border) for Deir Al Balah (in the centre of the Gaza strip). Via cooperation with a Red Crescent clinic, Al Zahraa has continued her work for JPBC and thus for the people of Gaza.

Musa has been providing psychosocial support to severely disabled children and their caregivers in Gaza City and is now part of a team based in the new Princess Basma satellite unit at Al Ahli Hospital, supported online by his colleagues in Jerusalem. His workload is huge and growing, yet his ability to operate is more and more restricted by the war.

Ismail is working towards the south of the Gaza strip, at Khan Younis, where he is screening and providing intervention services for children with disabilities with chronic conditions.

Celebrating Humanitarians at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza

The Al Ahli Hospital is operating in a war zone in Gaza. It has remarkably continued to maintain services through this time of conflict, even converting its chapel and library into temporary wards. They have currently about 600 out-patients a day, with about 25 operations delivered through a 24 hour a day schedule.

Last month staff and patients were made to evacuate the hospital for a few days, causing great distress. Yet they regrouped and reopened services as soon as they could.

In April this year a number of Ahli Hospital’s dedicated doctors and staff who were displaced in the conflict established an outreach clinic in southern Gaza to offer vital medical services. The clinic treats 90-100 patients per day with injuries, infectious diseases and long-term medical conditions, and provides psycho-social support to about 30 children a day.

Meanwhile, the diocesan health facilities in the West Bank, such as St Luke’s Hospital in Nablus and the Penmen Clinic in Jenin, continue to provide life-saving treatment. These services are an extraordinary testament to the dedication of humanitarian health workers in the midst of conflict.

The staff at Al Ahli Hospital have shown remarkable commitment to serving the injured and sick at this traumatic time when their own families and communities are impacted: one returned to work the day after his home was struck in a missile strike; others committed to continuing their service when displaced to the south of Gaza and, with massively increasing demand, the hospital staff have worked in shifts around the clock to provide as many operations as possible.

Supporting humanitarian work

Both centres need vital support to continue the work that they do. 

Support for the Princess Basma Centre in Jerusalem can be provided financially on their donation page. 

Alternatively, the Anglican Alliance is coordinating an appeal to support health and education institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem in Gaza and the West Bank via any of the agencies below:

Aotearoa/New Zealand/Polynesia:
Anglican Missions and Tearfund NZ

Australia: 
Anglican Board of Mission Anglicans in Development and Anglican Overseas Aid

Canada:
Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund

UK:
Tearfund and USPG

USA:
Episcopal Relief & Development

Other entities around the Anglican Communion also support the Diocese of Jerusalem in its wider ministry.

To contact the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem:
[email protected]