At least 30 Christians living in the Gaza Strip have died since October 7 and the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), citing the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Of these 30, 17 were killed when an Israeli missile hit the St. Porphyry Greek Orthodox Church on October 19, two women who were shot and killed by an Israeli sniper while walking on the grounds of the Holy Family Catholic Church, and 11 others who died of illnesses that did not cause could not be adequately cared for due to the war.
When the war broke out, only a thousand Christians lived in Gaza.
“Hygiene has become a serious problem, especially for children, who fall ill due to lack of water and basic supplies, like flour and diapers,” George Akroush, director of the project development office of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, told ACN, adding that at least 10 other people are at risk of dying due to lack of treatment.
Maria Lozana, spokesperson for ACN, said The Jerusalem Post that the situation in Gaza is “horrible for everyone. Christians are still in the middle of two groups that have been fighting for generations. Who suffers more? I can’t say. Every individual suffers a lot.”
The Israeli military responded to the situation by telling the Post that Israel is “fighting the deadly terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which systematically places its operatives and military assets among civilian populations, waging war on from civilian areas and using civilians as human shields. »
The army said that despite Hamas’s tactics, since the start of the conflict it has used various means to minimize damage to the civilian population and civilian structures as much as possible, including sending messages through leaflets , phone calls, audio recordings and text messages. to residents of Gaza, asking them to evacuate specific areas that serve as centers of terrorist activity.“The IDF will act to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, in accordance with international law, while minimizing harm to non-combatants as much as possible,” the IDF said.
Religious leaders help Christians in Gaza
According to ACN, a priest and seven nuns from three different congregations have teamed up to help around 560 Christians who continue to seek refuge at the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, where they lack water and electricity. Lozana said ACN and other charitable organizations are working with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to provide medicine and food to these people.
“We are trying to help as much as possible during this horrible time,” Lozana said, speaking to the post office of Germany. However, she could not provide specific details because “the situation is very sensitive.”
Last week, the international humanitarian aid foundations Orthodox Public Affairs Committee (OPAC) and Mosaic Middle East launched an appeal raise funds for Palestinian Christians in Gaza in coordination with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the office of His Beatitude, Patriarch Theophilos III.
Their money also goes to Holy Family and Saint Porphyry to provide essential services such as water, food and sanitation, as well as gasoline to keep the generators running.
George Gigicos, co-founder and president of OPAC, told the Post that about 400 families seek shelter at the Saint Porphyrius compound or receive daily emergency aid there — not all of them Christian. According to the ACN, around 560 Christians – Catholic and Orthodox – from 180 families live within the grounds of the Holy Family Church. This includes 140 children, around 60 people with disabilities and 84 people aged over 65. When the war began, more than 700 people were in the Holy Family compound, but many died or left Gaza. Lozana said between 50 and 60 Christians with dual nationality have fled the enclave to countries like Egypt, Jordan or even Canada.The Gaza Strip’s Christian population was around 5,000 in 2005 when Israel unilaterally withdrew from 21 Israeli communities. Since then, it has rapidly declined, while the Muslim population has increased. A University of Notre Dame report cited 3,000 Christians living in Gaza in 2007 and only 1,300 in 2021 – mostly Greek Orthodox.
The university said Christians were being “crushed by the policies of Hamas” and its “insidious process of Islamization.”
“Christians in Gaza are now being targeted because of their religious faith,” according to the university. They “feel like second-class citizens, despite their Palestinian patriotism and historical affinity with the land.” Lozana said Christians in Gaza “live a life of faith” and receive “spiritual support” from local priests and sisters. “It’s very important right now because there is so much fear and violence causes traumatic reactions in people.” She said Christians repeatedly tell her that peace is the most important thing to them. “They always tell us, ‘Peace, pray for peace,’” she said. “That’s their wish: that peace will be restored and that they can survive.”
