Israeli Policies Threaten Gaza Christians, Palestinian Delegation Warns EU

A delegation from the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine warned European Union officials in Brussels on Saturday that current Israeli policies are having a detrimental impact on the Christian community in Gaza.

“Beit Lahm Lives Christmas Again After Two Years, Sending a Message of Resolve and Hope Amid the War Waged by Israel Against Gaza and the Escalation of the Occupation in the West Bank”

Chronique de Palestine

Reverend Mitri Raheb told the meeting that the alarming decrease in the Palestinian Christian demographic could lead to the disappearance of the Palestinian Christian presence within the coming decades, and he also underscored increasing assaults on churches, Christian institutions, and educational facilities within Gaza.

Chronique de Palestine

The delegation said the issue extends beyond Palestinian Christians alone and concerns the future of religious and cultural pluralism in Palestine and the wider region, while calling on the EU to take a more decisive stance in defense of international law, human rights, and accountability for ongoing Israeli violations.

In the same warning track, WAFA reported that former UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk said targeting Christians in Palestine is primarily linked to the fact that they are Palestinians, and that the Israeli government seeks to erase Palestinians, including Christians.

WAFA also said Lynk warned of an escalation in attacks by colonists against Palestinian Christians and pointed to Jerusalem, where this year, for the first time in centuries, the performance of one of the Christian community’s religious rituals was prevented.

Ihab Hassan, a Palestinian Christian human rights advocate, told Vatican News that settlers have faced "no consequences" for their actions, describing an "impunity" that he said allows attacks to continue.

Hassan said the Israeli government condemned some actions but that "no real steps" have been taken to stop the attacks or arrest those responsible, and he linked the pattern to what he called the policy of the Israeli government.

ISM-France

Vatican News reported that Hassan has documented further attacks including settlers setting fire to vehicles, smashing windows, and occupying a quarry on the town’s western outskirts of Taybeh, the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank.

In parallel, WAFA said Lynk noted that the investigation into the assault on a nun in Jerusalem only began after international pressure, and that colonists and Israeli occupation forces have intensified their attacks on Palestinian Christian communities, places of worship, and villages in recent years.

WAFA further stated that Jerusalem witnessed this year, for the first time in centuries, the prevention of the performance of one of the Christian community’s religious rituals, framing it as part of Israel’s efforts to deepen its occupation amid the absence of international accountability.

In the United States, more than 300 Christian leaders representing dozens of churches and religious organizations called on members of Congress to stop funding the Israeli occupation and restore support for Palestinian humanitarian and healthcare institutions.

Palestine Chronicle reported that US Christian leaders urged Congress to restore US funding to UNRWA, support hospitals in occupied Jerusalem, and guarantee access for Gaza patients seeking treatment, while US peace activist Eli McCarthy said the group demanded ending US weapons shipments and military support to Israel.

Reverend Mira Solani of Riverside Church in New York City said children in Gaza are dying from illnesses and infections that would normally be easily treatable elsewhere, and she warned that approximately 80 percent of Gaza’s children lack access to basic necessities and healthcare.

At the same time, WAFA said Lynk described international reactions to the situation of Palestinian Christians as limited, and he affirmed that colonial settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory constitute a violation of international law, adding that international humanitarian and criminal law considers the establishment of civilian settlements in occupied territory a war crime.

Together, the sources frame the stakes as both immediate humanitarian access—through calls to restore UNRWA funding and hospital support—and longer-term survival of Palestinian Christian presence, with Reverend Mitri Raheb warning of disappearance within the coming decades if Israeli policies continue.