Gaza’s Remaining Christians Mark Christmas With Subdued Celebrations Amid Ongoing Conflict

The small number of Christians remaining in Gaza marked Christmas early this year with subdued celebrations, under the shadow of ongoing conflict and occupation. The Catholic Church said about 600 Christians remain in Gaza after the two-year war between Israel and Hamas, down from a total of 1,700 before the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.

During most of the war, many of these Christians lived in the Holy Family Church compound because their homes had been destroyed by Israeli forces. About 400 still live there. Alaa Saba, 67, said she was forced to leave her house in the upper-middle-class Rimal neighbourhood during the war. “We lived a very difficult life in the church,” she said. “The surrounding area was extremely dangerous, Shuja’iyya [neighbourhood], with constant strikes and shelling.”

Israel’s military said one of the strikes was accidental and another was targeting a nearby Hamas compound. Despite the ceasefire, many Gazans cannot return to their homes, because Israeli troops occupy more than half of Gaza and do not allow residents to return.

Eleven-year-old Julia Anton described the war’s toll on her family. “It was hard and sad. People were dying and houses were being destroyed. Our house was destroyed in the first week of the war,” she said. “We used to go and see it and tried to fix a few things, but it is not fit for living in.”

While the wider world considers the war to be over, Gazans said this Christmas would be overshadowed by conflict. Worshipper Issa al-Tarazi said, “It is a difficult situation. We are emerging from a crisis, from a genocidal war, and God willing this trend [of peace] will continue.” He added, “Yet there is still a threat to the future. We have not finished, the sounds of gunfire and shells are still heard daily.” He also prayed for peace and for the basic human and humanitarian rights of the Palestinian people.

Before the war, many of Gaza’s Christians made an annual trip to churches in Bethlehem and Jerusalem for Christmas. Gaza’s borders are now largely closed unless people want to leave permanently. Alaa Saba recalled the difference. “We used to go to Bethlehem, to the Church of the Nativity and Jerusalem, spending a week or two praying and feeling joy and happiness,” she said.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, presided over the Christmas services in Gaza during his first visit since the ceasefire took effect in October.

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