Palestinian Christian Delegation Warns EU Israeli Policies Threaten Christian Presence in Gaza

A Palestinian Christian delegation from the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs warned European Union officials that current Israeli policies pose a serious threat to the survival of the historic Palestinian Christian presence in the region, Wafa news agency reported.

“In a statement issued on January 17, patriarchs and heads of Jerusalem's churches warned about external political and ideological interference that threatens the prosperity of the faithful in the Holy Land”

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During a meeting in Brussels, Reverend Mitri Raheb highlighted a sharp decline in the Palestinian Christian population and drew attention to attacks on churches, Christian institutions and educational facilities in Gaza.

Actualités chrétiennes

Raheb called on the EU to adopt clearer and more decisive positions in defence of international law, human rights and accountability, adding that protecting the Palestinian Christian community is a moral, humanitarian and international responsibility.

In parallel, a Palestinian Authority statement rejected Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that protects Christians, saying: "Israel has destroyed the Christian presence in Palestine, and it continues to bomb churches and their institutions in a war of extermination in the Gaza Strip."

The delegation’s warnings were tied to specific patterns of harm across Gaza, Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, including targeting of churches and Christian educational facilities, Wafa said.

WAFA reported that Rev. Prof. Dr. Mitri Raheb said Christians constituted nearly 8% of the Palestinian population before 1948, compared to less than 1% today, and warned that continuation of Israeli policies could lead to the disappearance of the Palestinian Christian presence within the coming decades.

Anadolu Ajansı

In Gaza, the committee said Israel bombed the Church of Saint Porphyrius (Greek Orthodox) and the Holy Family Catholic Church, which it said led to a massacre of Christian civilians who sought shelter there.

The committee also asserted that "since the start of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, 44 Palestinian Christians have been killed directly as a result of the bombing" and said the deaths were also linked to severe humanitarian conditions like lack of food and medicine.

Ahead of Easter, church leaders in occupied Jerusalem urged Israeli authorities to reopen the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in full as Holy Week and Easter approach, with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate spokesperson Father Isa Masleh telling Anadolu Agency that church leaders were urging the reopening.

“The Patriarchs recalled on January 17, 2026 that they alone represent the Christian communities of the Holy Land in religious, communal, and pastoral spheres”

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Another Jerusalem Greek Orthodox official said: "The Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, Patriarch Theophilos, is making international contacts to pressure the Israeli government to open the churches normally during holidays."

The Anadolu Agency report said Israeli authorities continued to refuse to reopen the mosque and the church to Palestinians, describing the move as "unjustified and politically motivated," and noted that since February 28 the Israeli authorities had closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Al-Aqsa Mosque citing tensions in the region.

In the same broader dispute over Christian presence, the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs said the continuation of current Israeli policies threatens survival of Palestinian Christians in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, warning that the issue extends beyond Palestinian Christians alone and concerns the future of religious and cultural pluralism.