Palestinian Territories: Christian presence in Gaza coming to an end?

As reported by the Catholic Herald on 29 June 2024, at the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023, there were 1,017 Christians in Gaza belonging to the various denominations. According to Gabriel Romanelli, Catholic priest at the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, the community has suffered significant losses, with 33 deaths due to bombs, bullets and lack of medicine, and many more fleeing the area. As the conflict continues without an end in sight, the situation for Gaza's Christians appears increasingly precarious.

The community, which has existed for 2,000 years, would now seem to be gradually disappearing. World Watch Research analyst Michael Bosch comments: “The interview with Gabriel Romanelli shows that many of the remaining Christians are struggling with depression, having lost their homes, schools and jobs. Although church leaders are doing their best to encourage Christians to stay, more and more are considering leaving, potentially leading to the loss of the ancient Christian presence in Gaza. Many Christians in Gaza have family members (or other connections) in the West Bank or in the Western world. Several families have, for example, resettled in Australia, with the help of Palestinian Christians in that country (Palestinian Christians in Australia, accessed 2 July 2024). However, the border crossing with Egypt has now been occupied by the Israeli army, making it almost impossible to leave. Meanwhile, several support efforts from the West Bank and Jerusalem have made contact with the remaining Christians in the two church compounds in the north of Gaza where most Christians have been sheltering for months. Nonetheless, the situation remains dire with lack of fresh food, basic hygiene and medicines.”

Michael Bosch continues: “Even if a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is achieved, it is difficult to imagine how the small Christian community will recover. So many have been traumatized and much will anyway depend on the political situation inside Gaza after the war has reached a conclusion. Many Gazan Christians have already moved to the West Bank in the past two decades, and the Christian communities in the West Bank will no doubt make the remaining Christians welcome as well, but a complete disappearance of the Gazan Christian community would be a very sad loss to the worldwide Church.”