“I knew God wouldn’t forsake us”: in the face of unimaginable loss, this Syrian family still chooses Jesus.
Pain radiates from Elias’ face as he stands cautiously at the entrance of his church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus.
The memories of the evening of Sunday, June 22, 2025, come flooding back—the last time Elias stepped inside the church. The night a bomb attack on the church killed 25 people during an evening service.
Elias, 56, gazes at the spot where the suicide bomber detonated himself, leaving a hole in the thick reinforced concrete—the same spot where his two brothers were killed. In total, Elias lost seven family members that night, including his brothers, a sister and four other relatives, along with a neighbour and a close friend.
Using a crutch, he hobbles into the church hall. Metal pins stick out from his leg—another visible image of the attack. Workers helping to rebuild the church pause when they hear that Elias lost seven family members. Respect replaces silence.
Quietly, Elias and his wife Hanan light seven candles on a makeshift altar of piled-up rocks, flames testifying to a faith not extinguished by the explosion. Their five children, at first too afraid to re-enter the church, eventually join them for this intimate expression of faith. But when their young son Ibrahim hears car horns outside, the panic on his face is clear—loud noises are still triggers.
On June 22, 2025, a suicide bomber detonated inside St. Elias Church, Syria, killing 22 Christians.
Recollection
At home in their third-floor apartment, Elias and 39-year-old Hanan graciously sit down with us to recount the June night that decimated their family. Small portraits of their seven lost relatives lie on the cabinet in the shape of a heart.
“We went through 14 years of civil war,” Elias says. “But an assault inside the church is unheard of. It’s a massacre.”
Elias and his family had gathered at the church, which happens to be called St. Elias Church, for a service. The church was especially full, with 300 people attending.
“I saw Ibrahim walking with the candle,” Hanan says. Elias speaks calmly, with little emotion. “The gunshots grew more intense from the front door,” he says. “The door was thrown open, and we were assaulted by a terrorist shooting right and left.”
Taking cover, Hanan crouched between two seats. Elias heard his brother, Geryes, shout for people to “Get down.” Suddenly, Geryes, 52, and Elias’ other brother, Boutros, 55, along with another congregant named Milad, tackled the attacker to the ground. After a short fight, the terrorist detonated his backpack. All four men were killed instantly.
Later, it was discovered that the backpack was filled with screws meant to maximize casualties. But because of the three men’s quick and courageous actions, many people were saved. The men pushed the attacker to the floor, forcing most of the explosion downward.
“Everybody witnessed their courage and martyrdom,” Elias says. “If they hadn’t acted, there would have been more casualties. They have become our role models. Like Jesus Christ says, we shouldn’t be afraid of anything. Jesus said, ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and afterwards can do nothing’” (Matt. 10:28).
In the confusion, Elias went running toward his son. “Everything went black and white. Icons fell, and the ceiling opened,” he says. “I got hit with two shards in my thigh, one in the femoral artery.” The deep scar in his right leg is a painful reminder.
Elias lights candles in memory of his relatives killed in the attack. His two brothers’ quick reaction to the bomber likely saved many lives by forcing the bomb’s force downward.
In less than a minute, 22 Christians were dead. Three other bodies, including the bomber’s, were never identified.
“I couldn’t move,” Elias recalls. “People were shouting. The church had turned red.”
Thankfully, before Elias even knew what was happening, a man had tied his shirt around his leg to stop the bleeding just before rushing him to the hospital.
‘Where are the children?’
Hanan thinks back to that night and remembers immediately searching for their five children: Elen, Sarah, Taqla, Ibrahim and Christina. “The whole church was destroyed. I failed to see any of my children,” she says. “Barely a second later, I saw my daughter Taqla in front of me and my mother behind me.”
The sound of her mother’s voice reverberated in Hanan’s ears: “Where are your children?” she asked.
Hanan was also able to find Ibrahim, Christina, and Elen, but 12-year-old Sarah was still missing.
‘Someone was on my tail. I turned and saw a girl with blood coming out of her eyes.” Why does this girl keep following me?, she thought. The girl’s shirt was covered in blood, but when Hanan saw her shoes, she knew it was Sarah.
“I didn’t recognize her face,” Hanan says. “Her face was swollen, and her hair was burned. She wasn’t able to see anything and was just following my voice.”
Both Sarah and 5-year-old Taqla were taken to the hospital. Elias and Sarah both needed surgeries, followed by more operations for Sarah in Lebanon.
“The right eye is now better,” Hanan says. “The other eye had three surgeries, but she still can’t see with it.”
Elias, Hanan, and their children hold a photo of Elias’ siblings killed in the attack.
An uncertain future
In the days after the attack, Elias gradually learned about the loss of all his family members, including both brothers, a sister, and more relatives.
“I broke down,” he says. His brothers, he explains, “were like fathers to my children. After we came home, there was emptiness.”
The couple is still considering the idea of leaving Syria, especially knowing that, according to authorities, the Islamic State group was behind the attack on Saint Elias Church. Where Elias and Hanan live, the pressure to convert to Islam is great. Islamists frequently patrol Christian neighborhoods, demanding they convert or else.
“For the sake of our children, we are considering not remaining here,” Elias shares. “If it’s God’s will, we will stay. If not, His will be done.”
The attack on their church isn’t the first time the couple has encountered adversity. Two years earlier, Hanan’s father was shot and killed by unknown attackers trying to take his home. “There is a constant fear,” she says. “We fear every day that someone might come to evict us.”
The psychological scars from the war, ISIS occupation and ongoing extremist threats and attacks run deep. “The children still fear the smallest sounds,” Hanan says, referring to her son’s earlier reaction to the car horns. “If they hear fireworks, they think they’re being attacked.”
Lessons from Job
Elias is quick to point out that even as they weigh their options about the future, the June 2025 attack didn’t keep the church from meeting, nor has it deterred his family from following Jesus. Despite everything, their faith stands firm, evidenced in their continued gratitude and trust.
“I knew the Lord wouldn’t forsake us. We thank Him for everything. We are grounded in our faith. We will go on. Jesus said, ‘On this rock, I will build my Church.’ Our faith is built on rocks, not bubbles of soap.”
“I knew the Lord wouldn’t forsake us,” Elias says with conviction. “We thank Him for everything. We are grounded in our faith. We will go on. Jesus said, ‘On this rock, I will build my Church.’ Our faith is built on rocks, not bubbles of soap.”
Elias thinks about Job and how he lived through the devastation of his home, livelihood, family and even his physical body.
“The Lord allows evil and tribulation, maybe to test our faith,” he says, with the wisdom of a man who has lived through abundant pain. “As Job said, ‘How do we accept goodness from the Lord and reject evil?’ Maybe the Lord allowed this to wake us up.”
He picks up an icon of Jesus as the Good Shepherd that he saved from the church rubble, still marked with dried blood. He reads the text on it: “I am the Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.’”
“We are ready, despite everything that has happened and will happened. We live by faith and we will die in this faith.”
‘Even if we are afraid, we will still go’
From the ashes of Saint Elias Church, Elias and Hanan carry their loved ones’ stories with them—a testimony of not only suffering but also of hope.
It’s clear that despite the intention of the attackers, faith is still alive in the people of Saint Elias Church—and the estimated 300,000 Christians who continue to stay in Syria. By God’s grace, faith continues to grow. Recently, 22 children were baptized at Saint Elias Church: the same number of Christians who lost their lives in the June 2025 attack.
Yes, fear remains, as you would expect. But for the faithful remnant in Syria, following Jesus is a decision they make every day. And gathering with those making the same decision is worth the cost.
“We go to church, but fear still exists,” Hanan shares. “Yet even if we are afraid, we will still go.” Elias adds: “We are ready, despite everything that happened and will happen. We live by faith, and we will die in this faith.”
Trauma like this is one of the primary reasons why Open Doors has championed education and training for counselors in Syria. Open Doors’ local partner formed a counseling team in Damascus to help families like Elias’ and Hanan’s. To date, Syrian counseling schools have produced 60 graduates, strengthening the church remnant as they bring professional support to traumatized believers.
In addition, Open Doors works through our local partners on the ground to offer Bible distribution, socioeconomic aid and prayer support.
What you can do
Pray
Elias and Hanan ask for prayers for their country and the church in Syria.
- Pray for peace, stability and growth for the Syrian church. “We ask you to pray that we can resist every enemy, seen or unseen, and every thought that keeps us from glorifying God,” Elias says.
- Pray for Elias and Hanan’s family and all Syrian families. “Never forget these innocent children who did nothing wrong. Keep praying for us, so that we really live in peace,” Hanan says. “Pray for us to feel safe, to see our children growing up, and to be happy here,” she asks.
- Please also pray that the Lord will guide Elias and Hanan as they discern the future for their family, and for inner healing from the trauma of the attack.
Give
Your generosity will strengthen Christians like Elias and Hanan, who live out their faith in defiance of fear.
- Every $35 could provide persecution survival training to a believer to help them persevere.
- Every $40 could provide trauma care to a Christian who’s faced extreme persecution.
- Every $74 could give essential support to a Christian family in a time of crisis
