How world’s oldest Christian community in Gaza is on brink of extinction

Israel continues to incessantly bomb Gaza, claiming “self defence” in response to the Hamas attack on 7 October. The 35-day-old conflict has already claimed the lives of over 11,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis. Along with millions of Palestinians, a third religious community is also in danger… of going extinct. Palestine’s Gaza and the West Bank are home to the oldest Christian community in the world. When Israeli bombs started falling on Gaza City’s once-active streets, hundreds of people from the Christian community took refuge in churches. But that sense of security also vanishes when the Benjamin Netanyahu-led nation attacks the oldest church in the Gaza Strip and many other significant locations. Who are Gaza’s Christians? According to Al Jazeera, the surviving Christians in Gaza are the oldest Christian group in the world, having been around since the first century. In addition to being the birthplace of Christianity, the vast region of ancient Palestine served as the backdrop for several events described in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the fourth century, Gaza was also considered a crucial centre for Christian missions because of its strategic location near a busy port and a bustling metropolis. Following the creation of Israel in 1948 and the forced displacement of 700,000 Palestinians from their homes during the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” more Palestinian Christians immigrated in the coastal enclave, according to the report. While the majority of Christians in Gaza practise Greek Orthodox Christianity, a few per cent also attend Gaza Baptist Church and Holy Family Catholic Church. How long have they been residing in Gaza The Christianity in Gaza has a long history dating back to the times when it was a marginalised group that offered salvation to those who were oppressed, according to another Al Jazeera report. According to the Bible, Philip the Apostle took a trip through the desert from Jerusalem to Gaza to spread the message of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. It also claims that Philip attended a wedding feast in Cana in Galilee, where Jesus changed water into wine. As the Qatar-based news channel, the enclave’s oldest church is Saint Porphyrius. It was first established in the fifth century after the demise of the bishop of the same name, who burned idols and temples to convert the city’s heathen population to Christianity. [caption id=“attachment_13376972” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A Palestinian woman mourns over the bodies of her relatives who were killed in Israeli airstrikes that hit a Greek Orthodox church, in Gaza City. AP[/caption] The chapel was converted into a mosque following the seventh-century Persian conquest. The Crusaders later restored it in the 12th century. The term “living stones" is sometimes applied to Palestine’s Christians, numbering 50,000 throughout the occupied areas. It is sometimes applied to Palestine’s Christians, numbering 50,000 throughout the occupied areas. It was first used by Peter the Apostle, the former fisherman called to be a disciple of Jesus, to characterise believers’ role in erecting the spiritual house of God. The word now refers to their unique position as protectors of a faith that originated in their country. How the community is faring amid Gaza bombing Even though Israeli forces issued orders to relocate millions of Palestinians from the northern region to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, thousands refused it. Instead, numerous Muslims and Christian families chose to keep their families in churches. Saint Porphyrius was one of those haven. However, that sense of security also disappeared after a deadly Israeli airstrike hit an outbuilding of the oldest Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius, killing at least 18. The Israeli military claimed in a statement that the attack was not directed towards the church. According to BBC, the attack on the church was labelled a “war crime” by the Jerusalem-based Orthodox Patriarchate. The families relocated to the 400-meter-distance Holy Family Church after the bombing. According to Nisreen Anton, the church’s general project manager, there are currently about 560 people seeking shelter there. Pope Francis has been calling the priest and parishioners packed into the church every day to check on and offer his condolences and prayers. George Anton, works for the Roman Catholic charity Caritas, together with his three daughters and wife, has sought refuge in the church compound. [caption id=“attachment_13376992” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Palestinians inspect the site where there was a Greek Orthodox church, destroyed following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City. AP[/caption] “We trust Pope Francis, but we don’t trust others to listen to the voice of peace. I don’t know how to describe the feeling. It’s a very scary thing. You feel you sit waiting for your turn to die. You don’t know when and you don’t know how or why,” he told BBC News. George tells the British outlet that he has had difficult talks with his kids, who are just eight, 10, and 12 years old. He said, “I am telling them the whole truth. I say we are with Jesus, but I also tell them that they are in a war. Sometimes, I leave them to go to get bread, to bring medicine or clothes, and every time I go, I say, ‘Goodbye. If I return back, all’s ok. If not, guys, that’s it.’” The fear of death and devastation, he claims, cannot be kept away from his kids. Why the community is on brink of extinction There are fewer Christians in Gaza now than there were a few years ago. Today, there are only 800 to 1,000 left, a sharp drop from the registered 3,000 three years ago in 2007. It was also during this time that Hamas took over the entire strip, which led Israel to impose a blockade. Numerous Christians had to flee their impoverished community. Kamel Ayyad, a spokesperson for the Church of St. Porphyrius, told Al Jazeera, “It’s become very difficult for people to live here. Many of the Christians left for the West Bank, for America, Canada or the Arab world, seeking better education and health.” [caption id=“attachment_13377012” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Palestinians inspect the damage in a church people were using as a shelter, at al-Ahli hospital, in Gaza City. AP[/caption] Evangelical Lutheran priest Mitri Raheb, who founded Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, told the outlet that it was possible that the ongoing violence would put an end to the denomination’s lengthy history in this region. “This community is under threat of extinction. I’m not sure if they will survive the Israeli bombing, and even if they survive, I think many of them will want to emigrate. We know that within this generation, Christianity will cease to exist in Gaza,” he said. Alongside Israeli efforts to “silence any voices coming from Palestinians inside Israel,” the attacks have been more intense, according to Raheb. Are West Bank Christians safe? Christians are better off in the West Bank, where a 2017 census reported that over 47,000 people reside. However, the community also continues to suffer there due to violence. Raheb told Al Jazeera that “attacks on clergy and churches had quadrupled this year compared to last year.” Days after Israel swore in the extreme government on 1 January, two unidentified men broke into Jerusalem’s Protestant Mount Zion Cemetery and vandalised over 30 graves by kicking over and breaking cross-shaped tombstones with rocks. A few weeks later, a group of Israeli settlers stormed an Armenian bar in the Old City of Jersalem’s Christian neighbourhood, yelling, “Death to Arabs… Death to Christians.” With inputs from agencies