[Blog] The plight of Gaza's Christians

It is common knowledge that since Israel launched its genocidal campaign in Gaza, some 46,000 thousand Palestinians have been killed, the majority being civilians, women and children. However, what is lesser known is that the victims include not only Muslims but Christians as well.

Albeit a small minority, the Christians form a vibrant community in Gaza. They belong to the Greek Orthodox Church and are among the most ancient Christians as they are the direct descendants of the original followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, their ancestors used to speak Aramaic , the language spoken by Jesus. Later they were hellenised and adopted the Greek language. With the Muslim conquest, arabisation took place. Today, their primary language is Arabic.

Before the murderous Israeli onslaught on Gaza, the Christians, like the other Palestinians, had a litany of dreams and aspirations, despite the stifling blockade, intermittent wars and regular attacks by the occupation forces. Christmas used to be a time of joy and celebration. They would go to the market, buy new clothes and chocolates for children and participate in the churches' celebrations. As one Christian put it, "we had a lot of joys in our lives".
But all this changed after the Israeli attacks that began on October 7, 2023. Fearing for their lives, most of the Christians sought refuge in the Church of St Porphyrius, one of the most ancient churches built in the 5th century and named after the first bishop of Gaza. Other Christians found shelter in the Latin Monastery, amongst others. Despite being 

deprived of food, electricity and water, they thought that they would be safe there as international humanitarian law forbids the bombardment of places of worship, schools and hospitals. Little did they realise that Israel does not care a hoot about international laws.

In its edition of 24 December 2024, “972 Magazine” recounts the tragedy of Gaza' s Christians through the tribulations of the Al Suri family . The head is a man called Ramez Al Suri, 47 years old. With his wife Helen and his three children, he sought refuge in St Porphyrius Church. The children used to attend the Holy Family school, one of the most prestigious in Gaza. They had big dreams for the future. Julie, 12 years old, wanted to be a dentist. Sohail, 14, wanted to be an accountant.  Majid,11, wanted to study business. But their dreams turned into rubble like all the buildings in Gaza. 

On 17 October 2023, they heard a massive explosion nearby. The Al Ahli Hospital was targeted by the Israeli army and this resulted in the death of 500 civilians.  Body parts could be seen everywhere. Then 2 days later came the direct attack on the church. As Ramez recounts, "That evening, we put our children to sleep and left them there...My wife Helen and I went to see my father, 87 years, who was sleeping in another building". At 8 pm, they were swirled by a deafening blast. They rushed to the church only to find dead bodies everywhere, including those of their 3 children.  Their whole world crumbled down.  Two months later, an Israeli sniper aimed at a mother and daughter in the courtyard of the Latin Monastery and killed them instantly. In July 2023, it was the turn of the Holy Family School to be 

targeted, resulting in loss of lives of a number of civilians. 

The Israeli army indiscriminately attacks all these places despite knowing that they are sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians, including children, women, the elderly and persons with disabilities...all this in utter disregard of in international laws and world opinion. 

Azize Bankur