GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) announced that the Israeli occupation army has killed 20 Palestinian Christians in the Gaza Strip, representing 3% of their number in the enclave, during the ongoing genocide that has lasted for more than 14 months.
Ismail Thawabteh, GMO Director General, added in a statement on Wednesday evening, “The numbers and facts show the extent of the suffering faced by this essential component of the Palestinian social fabric. The Israeli occupation forces have killed more than 20 Christians during this act of genocide, all of whom were civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.”
He noted that this means the Israeli occupation has targeted and killed more than 3% of Christians in the Gaza Strip, whose numbers have decreased to about 650 due to the occupation’s policies.
He emphasized that the targeting of the small Christian community in Gaza by the Israeli occupation is part of a systematic policy aimed at erasing the diverse human and historical presence in the Strip, where the occupation does not respect religious sanctities in its direct attacks and systematic bombardments.
Thawabteh pointed out that the occupation army has destroyed and targeted three main churches in the Gaza Strip, in a blatant violation of all norms and international agreements that ensure the protection of places of worship.
Moreover, Christian civilians have not been spared from the occupation’s crimes, as residential areas populated by Christians around the churches have been directly targeted, resulting in casualties and injuries to dozens.
Christian schools and institutions have also suffered severe losses, with large parts of the Christian community’s properties destroyed, including safe homes that were supposed to be refuges for families fleeing the Israeli bombardment.
Christians, like other residents of Gaza, are deprived of access to humanitarian aid and basic materials amid a suffocating siege and a systematic starvation policy.
GMO director stressed that the continued targeting of Christians in Gaza is not just numbers and statistics; it is an assault on a shared history, culture, and identity that extends over decades. The Palestinian Christian community is an integral part of the Palestinian people, and targeting it is an attack on the entire Palestinian existence.
He called on the international community and humanitarian and rights organizations to urgently intervene to stop these crimes, which amount to war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
He said, “Gaza, with its Muslims and Christians, will remain resistant to the attempts of genocide and uprooting carried out by the Israeli occupation, and its churches and mosques will stand as witnesses to the resilience of its proud people.”
Thawabteh concluded by saying, “The bells will ring alongside the calls to prayer, and Gaza will remain a fortress of steadfastness and challenge in the face of the Israeli occupation.”
