As Christians around the world mark one of their holiest seasons with Easter, the genocide in Gaza overshadows the celebrations and Christian leaders have spoken out on the ongoing humanitarian crisis that has cast a sombre pall over the sacred observance.
Reverend Moss Nthla, general secretary of The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa (TEASA), said the parallels between Easter and the suffering in Palestine are both stark and deeply personal.
He called on Christians to examine where they stand in the face of global injustice and to return to the radical compassion at the heart of Christ’s message.
“The current crisis in Gaza has cast a long shadow over Easter,” said Nthla, pointing to the powerful image shared last year by Palestinian cleric Dr Munther Isaac, who likened Christ to the innocent victims buried under rubble in Gaza.
“He captured well what Jesus taught - that whatever you do to the poor, the sick, the destitute, you do to Him. Christ is among the victims of injustice.”
Nthla criticised the alignment of many Western Christian institutions with what he described as “superior military and financial power,” particularly in relation to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
He drew historical parallels with the Church’s complicity in apartheid-era South Africa and colonialism.
“Throughout history, Christians have too often sided with power. This is against the clear teachings of Jesus, who Himself was unjustly killed by Israel two thousand years ago.”
Jerusalem, a city central to the Easter narrative, serves as a symbol of both spiritual and worldly injustice, said Nthla.
“It represents the social, political, and economic heartlessness of humanity at large - the very reason Jesus came into the world. Easter is a reminder that another future is possible, where love and solidarity defeat hatred and bigotry.”
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he argues, starkly contradicts the values often associated with Christianity.
“The denial of basic necessities – water, medical aid, education – to millions of Palestinians by those historically dominant Christian nations such as the US and Western Europe flies in the face of Christ’s teachings.”
Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba likened the suffering in Gaza and the West Bank to the despair Christians associate with Good Friday, especially following an attack on an Anglican-run hospital in Gaza.
“For Christians, the assaults on Gaza and the Occupied West Bank evoke the despair that the followers of Jesus must have felt on the first Good Friday.
“The Israeli claim that the hospital was a Hamas 'command and control centre' rings hollow in the wake of the untruths around their March 23 killings of emergency workers in Gaza. A broad swath of international public opinion no longer believes Israeli protestations of innocence.
"But as Christians, Good Friday does not represent the last word. On Easter Sunday, we celebrate resurrection, new life, and the assurance that, as Martin Luther King said, 'the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice'. For our faith tells us, as Desmond Tutu used to say, that despite all appearances to the contrary, God is in charge, and justice and peace will prevail in the end."
Professor Karen Milner, National Chair of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), said while Jews don't observe Easter they’ve just celebrated Passover - the festival of freedom and the celebration of the exodus from Egypt.
“The Passover story was particularly resonant this year, with so many hostages still captive in Gaza.
“It is a tragedy that Hamas' desire to keep these hostages as bargaining tokens has had such horrendous consequences for the region. We remember all the innocents who have died in this conflict with such grief and pray for a lasting peace".
Rolene Marks, spokesperson for the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF), said the contrast between Israel and the rest of the Middle East could not be more clear.
“In Israel, Christians thrive. They are free to worship, their rights protected. That’s not the case in areas governed by the Palestinian Authority or Hamas,” Marks said.
“In Bethlehem and Gaza, historic Christian populations have dwindled under pressure, fear, and persecution.”
Marks emphasised that while the humanitarian situation in Gaza is serious, it must be seen in the context of Hamas’s aggression and use of civilian areas for military purposes. “Israel has a duty to defend its people. It also facilitates humanitarian aid and ensures access to holy sites for all.”
She said many Christian organisations globally support religious minorities, and many acknowledge Israel as a rare refuge for Christians in the region. “Easter should remind us of the value of religious freedom, and the danger of moral confusion in the face of terrorism.”
In a final Easter message, Marks urged communities to support “truth, justice, and democracies that protect pluralism.”
Father Michael Weeder, retired Dean of St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, spoke on the Easter season and the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
“My Lenten fast was for Palestine. For Gaza and the people of the West Bank. For our Israeli siblings, that may see themselves in the eyes of the Muslim and Christian children of Gaza and towards that which mirrors the first flush of liberation that once planted in me the seed of solidarity and the spirit of internationalism.
"My Lenten fast for Palestine is an act of faith, honouring the prayer Jesus taught us, that we may love and serve, building God’s kingdom here on earth, shaped by the needs of the poor, and a prelude to the heavenly home we yearn for."
He said he believes that there will come a day when the Lord will ask questions.
"And our silence - Church of the Risen One - our failure to speak out about our brothers and sisters in Gaza, will weigh heavily upon us in the presence of the One who, in love, created us; in justice, condemned us; but in mercy, redeems us."