A memorial plaque was cemented outside Immigration Minister Erica Stanford’s East Coast Bays office over the weekend, marking a year since eighteen Palestinians were killed by an Israeli airstrike on the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City.

Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine held a vigil on Saturday to unveil the plaque; reading the names of those killed; praying for the 300 still sheltering in the church; and renewing calls for the immigration minister to grant emergency visas to families trapped in Gaza. The gathering of fifty heard from several church leaders and a Kiwi-Palestinian who lost family in the strike. Minister Stanford received two invites to the vigil but didn’t respond.

At a similar gathering in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, more than fifty Christians joined in twelve hours of continuous prayer at St David’s in Naenae on Sunday evening. The group echoed the call for visas, with many staying overnight to remember those still sheltering in the Church of Saint Porphyrius; including one attendee who knew each of the dead and whose family remained trapped there.

Tens of thousands across the motu have been urging Stanford to establish visas for over a year now, the Minister refusing to meet with Palestinian families affected by her decision, despite their repeated requests, and rejecting the idea under the pretext that granting visas issues “false hope”.

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Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine kaitiaki member Cole Yeoman says the visas mean the opposite; “Visas are actually one of the few hopes these families have. By granting visas, Erica Stanford will be putting pressure on the Israeli government to end their blockade and allow humanitarian aid in, and families seeking refuge out. The current visa settings are completely inadequate, and the Minister should have established a special category resettlement pathway months ago. This plaque is here as a reminder of the direct human cost of her continued inaction.”

In March this year, Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine joined more than 30 organisations including World Vision, Amnesty NZ, and Save the Children, in urging the government to provide emergency visas for Palestinians in Gaza to resettle in New Zealand.

Kiwi-Palestinian Christian Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab lost three of her family members in the attack. Reflecting one year on, she called it a year of horror that Palestinians can never forget; “When I found out that my family had been murdered, I was absolutely devastated. You lose part of your heart and part of your spirit. But to find out they died while seeking shelter in the home of Jesus -the Church- was a complete violation.”

Kouttab made a call for New Zealand Christians to do more; “The very being of the church, the integrity of the Christian faith, and the credibility of the Gospel is at stake. For many years, most churches and Christian organizations have been silent on Palestine. Zionism as an ideology that legitimizes the right of one people to deny the human rights of another is incompatible with the Christian faith and a grave misuse of the Bible.”

Another Israeli airstrike targeted St Porphyrius Church in August, thankfully failing to detonate upon impact. Around 300 people remain sheltering in the church, with many struggling to find food or water due to Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid.

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