Austrian hospice in Jerusalem temporarily suspends operations

The Austrian Pilgrim Hospice in the Old City of Jerusalem is the oldest Christian guest house in the Holy City.

A drone photo shows the damage to residential homes in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 16, 2025, at the impact site of a missile attack from Iran. Iran fired a new wave of missiles on Israel early June 16, killing several people, while Israel warned residents in part of Tehran to evacuate ahead of new strikes. (OSV News photo/Moshe Mizrahi, Reuters)

The renowned Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem's Old City has been forced to temporarily cease operations due to the war between Israel and Iran. This was announced by interim rector Lucas Maier on Wednesday. The checkpoints to and from Bethlehem have been closed and the Old City sealed off by the police. All guests and community service workers have left and operations have come to a standstill, Maier said.