AFP

Ishtartv.com - syriacpress.com

 30/08/2025

GAZA, Holy Land — The image of Gaza is often framed through the lens of siege and devastation, as the territory endures the unrelenting toll of conflict between Hamas and the Israeli military. Years of war have eroded daily life and its basic foundations, leaving the population at the edge of survival. Amid this devastation lies another, quieter tragedy: the shrinking Christian community, now numbering around six hundred people—down from nearly one thousand only a few years ago. 

Mor Theodosios Atallah Hanna Archbishop of Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox Church under the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, stated that his Church is actively engaging with international officials and organizations to press for an end to what he described as a “war of extermination.” He warned of the dire humanitarian conditions facing Gaza’s residents, noting that these circumstances have nearly halved the enclave’s Christian population. 

Archbishop Hanna said dozens of refugees and displaced families are sheltering inside two churches in Gaza, stressing that his Church will not abandon them despite mounting pressures. “Even if evacuation orders are issued to move south, leaving these churches under such circumstances could mean death,” he warned. Mor Theodosios added that those taking refuge inside, live in constant fear and uncertainty about what the coming hours or days may bring. 

Archbishop Atallah Hanna stressed that the Church cannot remain neutral in what he called a historic moment. “This is an issue that concerns us all. The suffering of the Palestinian people is our suffering, and their bleeding is our bleeding,” he said, adding that the Church prays for an end to the war and for the bloodshed to cease. 

Historically, Gaza’s Christian community was far larger. Six decades ago, its population was nearly seven times greater than today, according to a report by Copts-United Newspaper. Successive waves of forced emigration and recurring unrest steadily eroded the community’s size. While many families moved to the West Bank or emigrated to countries in the Middle East and Europe, only a small number of Orthodox and Catholic Christians remain, struggling to endure in a land scarred by war. 

Today, as the conflict grinds on, this centuries-old community faces an uncertain future—trapped between enduring the siege and a slow decline or being forced to leave a homeland they have inhabited for generations.