Nearly 3 dozen Christians have died in Gaza Strip amid Israel-Hamas war, aid group says

CNA Staff, Feb 14, 2024 / 11:20 am

Nearly three dozen Christians have lost their lives in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October, a Christian aid group in the region said this week. 

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a charity organization whose roots stretch back to the end of the Second World War, said in a release that “a total of 30 Christians have died since the conflict began.” The number comes from the Project Development Office of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The dead include “17 victims of the strike on the Greek Orthodox parish compound in October 2023 as well as the two women killed by snipers in the Catholic parish of the Holy Family,” ACN said. Nearly a dozen more “have died from chronic illness that could not be adequately treated,” the group said.

Several children were killed in the strike on the Greek Orthodox church in October. The deaths of the two women from the sniper attack, meanwhile, were met with global outrage, including from Pope Francis. 

Though attributed to Israeli snipers, the Israel Defense Forces repeatedly denied culpability for the women’s deaths.

In addition to the threat of violent conflict, a humanitarian crisis in the region has persisted over the course of the war. 

“Lack of fuel and electricity means that pumps no longer work, so the residents have to extract water manually from the wells,” ACN said. Meanwhile, “medical care has also reached critical levels” and even basic tasks such as charging cellphones have become difficult.

ACN said it has worked with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to “provide medicine and food as well as fund some medical procedures” for those caught in the conflict. Yet “the mass destruction of houses and infrastructure makes the future of the Christians in the region uncertain,” the group said.

“They say that 62% of the houses have been totally destroyed and that reconstruction will last until 2093 according to some international and United Nations agencies active on the ground,” a project partner told ACN.

“With all of this, one has to ask what future is there for Christians in this country? What is going to happen?” the project partner continued. “Nobody knows. Please, pray for us, do not forget the suffering of the Christians in this part of the world.”

Nearly 30,000 people total have reportedly died in Gaza since the war began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 of last year.

The terrorist group killed more than 1,000 in its initial incursion and took several hundred hostages. Israel quickly declared war, launching a full-scale bombardment with the explicit goal of destroying Hamas.