AMMAN — The Christian presence in Palestine—among the oldest in the world—is facing what experts describe as a “cultural erasure.” From Gaza’s Byzantine churches to Jerusalem’s monasteries, heritage sites that have stood for centuries are now under severe threat.

 

The recent “Report on the Damage to Christian Heritage in Gaza” issued by ICOMOS Palestine documents widespread devastation, revealing a pattern of systematic targeting that has left churches, monasteries, and hospitals in ruins.

 

The report, the first of its kind focusing exclusively on Gaza’s Christian heritage, emphasises that this legacy is “an integral part of the region’s historical, cultural, and global identity, a living heritage that testifies to the early dawn of Christianity.” It warns that this continuity — once sustained through centuries of coexistence — now stands on the brink of extinction.

 

Christianity has deep roots in Gaza. The city became a hub of early pilgrimage after the conversion of Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, and it was here that St. Hilarion founded Palestine’s first monastery at Deir Al Balah. The 5th-century Church of Saint Porphyrius, built over the tomb of Gaza’s bishop of the same name, remains one of the oldest continuously used churches in the world, a testament to the Christian community’s endurance across Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, and Ottoman eras.

 

This long continuum, however, has been repeatedly fractured by the modern occupation. Before Israel imposed its blockade in 2007, Gaza was home to around 3,000 Christians. By 2023, that number had fallen below 1,000, and following the recent bombardments, only around 650 remain. “This decline reflects a project that threatens national identity and targets the unity of Palestinian society,” the report states.

 

Targeting patterns

 

Since October 2023, the destruction has reached levels unseen in modern Palestinian history. Christian structures, many of which also function as hospitals, schools, and community centres, have been repeatedly targeted.

 

In October 2023, Israeli warplanes bombed the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius, where nearly 500 civilians, both Muslim and Christian, had sought refuge. Eighteen people were killed, including ten members of one family, and the church sustained heavy structural damage.

 

Just weeks later, in November 2023, an airstrike hit the Latin Church of the Holy Family, the last remaining Catholic parish in Gaza. The church’s facilities were damaged during evening prayers, and worshippers were forced to flee amid chaos.

 

Among the most tragic incidents documented is the killing of Nahida Khalil and her daughter Samar Anton, shot by Israeli snipers while heading to the convent of the Missionaries of Charity. “One of them was shot while trying to save the other,” recorded the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, calling the act a clear violation of international law.

 

On July 7, 2025, another strike hit the same Holy Family Church, killing three people and injuring ten, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli. The church was sheltering around 600 displaced civilians at the time. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the bombing as a “war crime,” while Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire.

 

Even hospitals under Christian care have not been spared. The Ahli Arab Hospital, operated by the Anglican Church, was struck multiple times, in October 2023, April 2025, and August 2025, each time causing casualties and immense damage. These attacks destroyed laboratories, pharmacies, and chapels, with one strike killing hundreds of displaced civilians.

 

According to ICOMOS Palestine, “the Israeli assault was not merely an attack on infrastructure, it was a direct strike on the Christian presence itself, aiming to erase the cultural and spiritual identity of Gaza and of Palestine at large.”

 

Fracturing Palestinian society

 

The report situates Gaza’s tragedy within a wider pattern of marginalisation across Palestine. It highlights what it calls “a decades-long policy to tear apart the Palestinian social fabric by fuelling sectarian strife between Muslims and Christians” and by targeting religious landmarks “as part of a ‘divide and rule’ policy aimed at weakening national unity.”

 

This extends to Jerusalem and the West Bank, where Christian institutions face mounting pressure. Israeli authorities have imposed taxes on church properties, frozen the bank accounts of the Orthodox Patriarchate, and restricted the entry of clergy. Meanwhile, settler attacks and land confiscations continue, pushing many Palestinian Christians to emigrate.

 

Father Abdullah Yuli, pastor of the Roman Catholic Church in Ramallah, warned in a 2024 statement that Israel was pursuing “a diabolical plan to empty the Strip of its inhabitants,” noting that “the number of Christians in Gaza had fallen from 3,000 before the blockade to less than 800 today.”

 

In an interview with The Jordan Times, Shireen Allan, former President of ICOMOS Palestine, explained the motivation behind documenting this heritage now:

 

“The decision to focus on Gaza’s Christian heritage at this moment was driven by the unprecedented level of destruction that has affected sites representing an integral part of Palestine’s diverse historical fabric. The aim was not only to document the material losses but also to affirm the continuity of Christian presence as a vital component of Palestinian identity.”

 

Conducting the study was a challenge in itself. As Allan noted, “This assessment was conducted as part of an independent and fully voluntary research effort, following a scientific documentation methodology consistent with international standards for assessing damage to cultural heritage during wars and conflicts. The work relied on local field-based sources and visual analysis of recordings and photographs published by independent entities and local residents.”

 

Because direct field access was impossible, the team adopted “a spatial–temporal comparative methodology” and relied on voluntary contributions from local experts. The goal, Allan said, was to “ensure scientific accuracy, methodological integrity, and a spirit of collective civic commitment.”

 

For Allan, the significance of Christian heritage in Gaza transcends architecture, it embodies the deep coexistence that once defined Palestinian life.

 

She points to the Church of St. Porphyrius and the Katib Al Wilaya Mosque, standing side by side in Gaza’s Zeitoun quarter, as a symbol of this shared history. “This spatial proximity is not accidental, it shows a deep-rooted cultural and spiritual dialogue between the two communities.”

 

Citing the Palestinian historian Aref Al Aref, Allan added, “Although Muslims have their mosques and Christians their churches, which they attend separately for prayer and worship, I have often seen Christians join their Muslim brethren in mosques during the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday…”

 

This, she said, “reveals the depth of mutual respect and social cohesion that has long characterised life in Gaza.”

 

The report sharply criticised what it called “the silence of the international community.” Allan argued that cultural preservation must move beyond rhetoric:

 

“UNESCO and ICOMOS International should activate emergency monitoring mechanisms, deploy independent assessment missions, and advocate for the protection of cultural sites as a humanitarian and ethical imperative. Continued inaction effectively legitimises the erasure of Gaza’s cultural memory.”

 

She stressed that protection efforts must also address intangible losses —the disrupted rituals, displaced congregations, and broken spiritual traditions that define Gaza’s Christian identity.

 

Today, Gaza’s Christian population numbers only a few hundred, many sheltering in the ruins of their own churches. Yet, for Allan, their survival remains an act of defiance and faith. “With Gaza’s Christian population now reduced to only a few hundred individuals, preserving this community requires both local resilience and international solidarity. The loss of this community would mean more than the disappearance of a minority, it would represent the erasure of a living witness to Palestine’s deep and pluralistic history.”

 

As the bombs continue to fall, the bells of Gaza’s churches still stand as fragile symbols of an enduring presence. Whether the world chooses to listen to their echo may determine if this ancient heritage survives or becomes yet another casualty of war.