{"id":17459,"date":"2026-01-19T09:18:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/?p=17459"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:19:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:19:27","slug":"christians-in-gaza-express-cautious-hope-at-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/ca\/christians-in-gaza-express-cautious-hope-at-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Christians in Gaza Express Cautious Hope at Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Within candlelit churches, amid prayers for the living and the dead, Gaza\u2019s Christians marked the birth of Christ with a faith bolstered by suffering. Their celebration was shaped by loss, displacement and a lingering sense of fear that has not fully receded.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After two consecutive years of war, a fragile sense of hope has cautiously resurfaced among them. Nearly three months after a ceasefire came into effect, Palestinian Christians, from to Gaza to Bethlehem, marked Christmas with public celebrations once again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza\u2019s Christian population barely exceeded 1,000. Since the war began, about half have left, seeking safety abroad. According to church sources, those who remain, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox principally, are displaced, having lost their homes during the bombardment, and many continue to shelter in the parish compounds or with extended family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Archbishop Alexios of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem presides at the Divine Liturgy for the Nativity at St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church in Gaza City on 7 January. (photo: Diaa Ostaz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Churches and mosques in Gaza were not spared during the war. Religious affiliation offered no protection as\u00a0places of worship<\/a>\u00a0were targeted.\u00a0The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrios<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 one of the oldest functioning churches in the world \u2014 was struck while civilians were sheltering inside, killing 18 people. In total, 23 Palestinian Christians were killed in direct attacks on churches and their surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Holy Family Catholic Church and St. Porphyrios are located near what is known as the \u201cyellow line,\u201d an area adjacent to zones of ongoing Israeli military activity inside the Gaza Strip. Explosions along and within this fluid line occur almost daily. The sound of nearby blasts can be heard inside the churches, startling worshipers and reinforcing a persistent sense of vulnerability. Nevertheless, congregants continue to attend services, insisting on remaining in their land and clinging to patience and prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 24 December, Holy Family Church began its celebrations of\u00a0Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar<\/a>\u00a0used throughout most of the world. Nearly 300 people gathered for the Mass, quietly and reverently.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days earlier, parishioners had assembled for a pre-Christmas eucharistic celebration with\u00a0Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa<\/a>, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, during his pastoral visit to the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Members of St. Porphyrios Church in Gaza City gather to celebrate the Nativity on 7 January. (photo: Diaa Ostaz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are not only called to build life, but to rebuild it,\u201d he told the congregation in his homily on 21 December.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On Christmas Eve, the Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, pastor, recalled in his homily that Jesus was born into a world marked by injustice and darkness, not peace or comfort. He emphasized that Christmas does not depend on ideal conditions, but on faith grounded in justice and reconciliation. Addressing those who question how Christmas can be celebrated during war, he said peace is not merely a wish but a moral responsibility, rooted in reconciliation among people and with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Father Romanelli also prayed for peace and justice in Palestine, calling on believers to become instruments of peace in their daily lives. He reminded the congregation that glorifying God must be accompanied by a genuine commitment to justice, mercy and coexistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The message resonated deeply with parishioner Noza Al-Tarazi, 63.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the height of the conflict, Christmas was marked by church services alone, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the first time we are celebrating because we can finally say there is a bit of calm,\u201d she said in an interview with CNEWA\u2019s ONE <\/em>magazine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Children of St. Porphyrios get into the Christmas spirit on 7 January. (photo: Diaa Ostaz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That calm, however, is inseparable from profound loss for Ms. Tarazi, whose daughter died during the war, not from an airstrike, but because of the collapse of Gaza\u2019s health care system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe became ill, and I took her to\u00a0Al-Ahli Hospital<\/a>,\u201d Ms. Tarazi said. \u201cThey couldn\u2019t do anything because of the lack of medical equipment and medicine. She died there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her loss reflects the wider breakdown of medical services in Gaza, where hospitals were overwhelmed, damaged or rendered inoperable, and shortages of medicine, fuel and electricity became routine during the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe atmosphere now is better than what we lived through,\u201d said Ms. Tarazi. \u201cThere is a Mass today and a small celebration afterward. It\u2019s not like before the war, but it\u2019s different from the past two years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope [2026] will be a year of comprehensive peace for all of Palestine, especially Gaza,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope there will be reconstruction, that people can return to their homes instead of living in tents.\u00a0Life is extremely difficult<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Gaza\u2019s younger generation, Christmas carries a similar contradiction between relief and fear. Fourteen-year-old Henna Shehadeh described the holiday joy as fragile and unstable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter the war stopped, there is some happiness,\u201d he told ONE <\/em>magazine. \u201cBut there is also pain and sadness. When you lose peace, you lose joy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Parishioners of Holy Family Church in Gaza City gather for Christmas Even Mass. (photo: Diaa Ostaz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although the ceasefire has brought relative calm, the sense of security remains unstable. \u201cWe still hear drones, warplanes and sometimes shelling,\u201d Henna said. \u201cThere is some safety, but there is fear at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For children such as Henna, Christmas joy is overshadowed by worry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe try to play and spend time together,\u201d he said. \u201cMy wish is peace in Palestine \u2014 in Gaza and in the West Bank.\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On 7 January, the Greek Orthodox community marked the feast of the Nativity at St. Porphyrios Church according to the Julian calendar. Nearly 200 worshipers attended the liturgy, which included hymns and prayers for relief from Gaza\u2019s ongoing ordeal \u2014 not only the destruction of war, but\u00a0winter rains flooding people\u2019s temporary shelters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archbishop Alexios of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem called on believers to remain patient and steadfast, stressing that every hardship eventually leads to relief. During his sermon, he urged congregants to carry the peace of Jesus in their hearts and to spread peace daily through their words and actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Church officials say Gaza\u2019s Christian community has paid a heavy price over the past two years, yet celebrating Christmas \u2014 even quietly and under the shadow of fear \u2014 is an act of spiritual resilience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journalist Diaa Ostaz shares his personal experience of covering Christmas celebrations in Gaza in this audio report<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n