A group of seven independent religious media outlets have published an open letter to the governments of Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, as well as to the authorities of the European Union, demanding the denunciation of the trade agreement between the European Union and Israel, an end to arms trade with the Jewish state, recognition of the State of Palestine, and the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas.

The text also demands the recognition of the Israeli army’s operation in the Gaza Strip as a genocide and support for the reconstruction of an independent and democratic Palestine, within the framework of two peoples, two free and independent states.

Under the title “We see, hear, and read, we cannot remain silent: Let’s stop the genocide, feed the hungry, build peace,” the professionals from these publications state that, as journalists, it’s not enough for them to just report on the tragic violence afflicting a people massacred daily in Gaza and dispossessed and expelled from their lands in the West Bank. As believers, they can’t resign themselves to silence. On the contrary, they’re joining their voices with those who affirm that another solution exists and that Israelis and Palestinians can coexist in peace, in compliance with United Nations resolutions.

“An immediate and lasting ceasefire; the immediate release of the hostages held by Hamas; the safe re-establishment of humanitarian aid; the initiation of negotiations aimed at a just peace in the region; the demand for free access for media to Palestinian territories; the creation of conditions for the reconstruction of Palestine in light of international law and on a democratic basis,” are the measures suggested by the signatory publications: Catalunya Religió, Flama, and Religión Digital (Spain), 7Margens (Portugal), Unisinos (Brazil), Adista, and Rocca (Italy).

Even though a ceasefire agreement seems to be approaching, these media outlets believe there are fundamental issues that must be addressed, and they position themselves from this perspective. On the other hand, similar to previous negotiated truces – particularly the one from earlier this year, broken by Israel with the resumption of bombardments – the fragility of the agreements reached so far has become evident. Therefore, we believe Israel must be pressured to end all hostilities and ensure a lasting ceasefire, the possibility of humanitarian aid, and the establishment of a free and democratic Palestinian State.

The appeal is directed at political leaders and “all citizens, believers and non-believers, as well as churches and different religious communities and their leaders,” the document adds. “It’s time to break the complicit silence and act! Today, unlike what happened in the early 1940s on our continent, today we see, hear, and read news of genocide. We cannot stay silent.”

The text was also shared with officials from the Vatican and the World Council of Churches, calling on these organizations to also denounce the situation “and to exert all their influence to achieve peace, even offering themselves as mediators.”

Open Letter from Religious Information Publications to Governments on the Gaza Tragedy: We See, Hear and Read: We Cannot Be Silent

Stop the Genocide, Feed the Hungry, and Build Peace

We, the directors and journalists of the media outlets listed below, raise our voices to demand that the governments of our countries and the political leaders of the European Union:

Cease arms trade with Israel

Recognize the State of Palestine

Denounce the trade agreement between the EU and Israel

Guarantee the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas

Recognize the Israeli army’s operation in Gaza as genocide

And support the reconstruction of an independent and democratic Palestine within the framework of ‘two peoples, two free and independent states.’

At this critical moment, we cannot remain silent. As journalists, it’s not enough for us to just report on the tragic violence afflicting a people massacred daily in Gaza and dispossessed and expelled from their lands in the West Bank. It’s not enough for us to write editorials and express our opinions about the inhumane brutality being unleashed in Gaza.

As believers, we cannot resign ourselves to silence. To remain silent is to accept that the only solution to the conflict is the extermination of the Palestinian people and the annexation of the Gaza Strip by the State of Israel. As believers, we join the cry of hope from our brothers and sisters:

There is another solution! Israelis and Palestinians can live together in peace, two peoples, two states! To achieve this, we just need to comply with United Nations resolutions.

We need an immediate and lasting ceasefire; the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas; the safe re-establishment of humanitarian aid; negotiations aimed at a just peace in the region; to demand for free access for media to Palestinian territories; and the creation of conditions for the reconstruction of Palestine in light of international law and on a democratic basis.

Our appeal is directed, first and foremost, to the political leaders of the European Union countries and to the Union itself, but it’s also for all European citizens, believers and non-believers alike, as well as churches and various religious communities and their leaders. It’s time to break the complicit silence and act! Today, unlike what happened in the early 1940s on our continent, we see, hear, and read news of genocide. We cannot stay silent.

As most of us are religious news outlets, we also call upon the Catholic hierarchy and Leo XIV, so that the Pope, the Catholic Church, and the World Council of Churches condemn the situation and exert all their influence to achieve peace, even offering themselves as mediators.

By signing this manifesto, we commit to embracing and reporting on the initiatives of our fellow citizens against the genocide in Gaza and for peace between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.

Signatory Media Outlets

7Margens (Portugal – setemargens.com) – A digital newspaper providing information on religions, spiritualities, culture, and human rights.

Adista (Italy – adista.it) – An independent weekly publication for religious and political news.

Catalunya Religió (Catalonia – catalunyareligio.cat/ca) – An independent bulletin on religious news, published with the support of various religious entities.

Flama (Catalonia – agenciaflama.cat) – A Christian news agency founded in 2005 within the Federation of Christians of Catalonia, based in Barcelona.

Instituto Humanitas Unisinos – IHU (Brazil – ihu.unisinos.br/) – A website offering interdisciplinary reflections on sustainable society, ethics, public theology, women’s issues, sociocultural topics, and work.

Religión Digital (Spain – religiondigital.org) – A Spanish-language socio-religious information website for Spain and the Americas, operating for 27 years.

Rocca (Italy – rocca.cittadella.org) – A magazine dedicated to peace, human rights, democracy, non-violence, and justice.