By Philip Phi
Posted Aug 20, 2026 at 7:42 PM
In a recent development, a Palestinian Christian delegation from the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs has issued a stark warning to European Union officials. They assert that current Israeli policies pose a significant threat to the enduring presence of Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land. This concern was articulated during a meeting in Brussels, where Reverend Mitri Raheb highlighted a concerning decline in the Palestinian Christian population, alongside attacks on churches, Christian institutions, and educational facilities in Gaza.
Reverend Raheb urged the EU to adopt clearer and more decisive stances in support of international law, human rights, and accountability. He emphasized that safeguarding the Palestinian Christian community is not only a moral and humanitarian obligation but also an international responsibility. This appeal comes amid reports of targeted attacks on Christian sites and facilities, which have raised alarms about the future of this historic community.
The delegation’s warnings are linked to specific patterns of harm across Gaza, Jerusalem, and the occupied West Bank. These include the targeting of churches and Christian educational facilities. Reverend Prof. Dr. Mitri Raheb noted that Christians once constituted nearly 8% of the Palestinian population before 1948, a figure that has dwindled to less than 1% today. He warned that if current Israeli policies persist, the Palestinian Christian presence could vanish in the coming decades.
In Gaza, the delegation reported that Israel bombed significant Christian sites, such as the Church of Saint Porphyrius (Greek Orthodox) and the Holy Family Catholic Church. These attacks reportedly led to the massacre of Christian civilians seeking refuge within these sanctuaries. The committee also stated that since the onset of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, 44 Palestinian Christians have been killed directly due to bombings.
In response to claims by Israeli leaders that Israel is the sole protector of Christians in the Middle East, the Palestinian Authority has countered by asserting that Israel has actively diminished the Christian presence in Palestine. They argue that Israel continues to target churches and their institutions as part of a broader conflict in the Gaza Strip. This ongoing situation calls for a reflection on the biblical call for justice and peace, as emphasized in Micah 6:8, urging us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
