Two more Christians in Gaza were killed this week.

Two Christian women were killed by bullets on Saturday, December 16 while in the compound of the Catholic Church in Gaza city. As with many other Palestinian Christians, they had been sheltering in the church since the beginning of the war between Hamas and Israel.

According to a statement of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem the women were killed by an Israeli sniper. “Nahida and her daughter Samar were shot and killed as they walked to the sister’s convent. One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety. Seven more people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others in the church compound. No warning was given, no notification was provided,” says the statement of the church.

The statement also says that earlier that day another convent was hit by an Israeli tank. That convent is part of the church compound and houses 54 disabled individuals, who were unable to stay in that building. Of those, some need respirators which they not longer have access to.

Three other persons in the church compound were wounded due to the heavy bombing in the area. The Latin Patriarchate speaks of a ‘senseless tragedy’. “We are at a loss to comprehend how such an attack could be carried out.”

In the church buildings and the compounds of the Catholic church and the Greek Orthodox church, where most of the ~1,000 pre-war Palestinian Christians found shelter, people live in constant fear of the bombardments by the Israeli air force. Those who found shelter in the church buildings face scarcity of food, the lack of sufficient toilets and the lack of shower opportunities. 

War

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise terror attack on Israel that killed about 1200 people in Israel, mainly citizens. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) responded with bombardments and a ground offensive in Gaza. Although the Israeli authorities ordered all people to leave Gaza, many stayed – including almost all the Christians . The Christians decided that the church buildings are the safest place for them to stay, instead of fleeing to the south of the Gaza strip where they don’t have church buildings or relatives.

Before this past weekend over 20 other Christians have died due to the bombardments, 18 of them when Israel targeted a house close to the Greek Orthodox church, causing significant damage to the church building.

Talking with those hiding in the church buildings is a challenge. Often there is no connection possible. For about a month already, these people are not able to leave the church compounds. “With Open Doors’ support they were able to buy mattresses and they bought food and drinking water… That is how they are surviving right now,” one of our Palestinian contacts says. 

In the churches, committees have been formed of those who found shelter there. They organize the logistics in the churches, and some women groups are responsible for the cooking of the meals. Sometimes there is only food for one meal during a day. “Often most of the food goes to the children.”

Christians in the West Bank are also affected by the conflict in Gaza. “Last week Open Doors organized a meeting for young Christians from different Christian denominations in the West Bank. We were there with some 130 youth, they came to the meeting where they were encouraged with a message of God who has a purpose with everything that is happening. They listened to a message from Romans 8, especially verse 28, ‘And we know that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (NIV). When they left they were really encouraged.”

Pray

• Please pray that everyone involved in the fighting will look to God instead of to violence.
  
• Pray for comfort for those who lost loved ones.
  
• Pray for those stuck in the church buildings in Gaza, for their physical and emotional wellness.
  
• Thank God for those bringing food and drinking water.
  
• Thank God also for the meeting where so many young Palestinian Christians were encouraged last week.