Inside the sanctuary at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, Christians in the war-torn city gathered last week to observe Palm Sunday with gratitude for the chance to congregate but weary of the ongoing assault on the territory they call home.

Despite Israel and Hamas reaching a ceasefire agreement on October 10, 2025, Israeli attacks have continued to kill hundreds of civilians in Gaza. Now, nearly seven months after the fighting was supposed to have ended, Christians and Muslims alike struggle to observe their holy traditions while in the throes of war and grief. See our report and video from this year’s Ramadan in Gaza City.

Father Gabriel Romanelli, speaking from a pulpit adorned in olive branches in a symbol of peace, addressed the churchgoers on Palm Sunday with a plea for respite as Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza continues.

“We’re asking to the Lord to give us peace, justice, and the possibility to continue to live, especially for the people, the Palestinian people, in Gaza, to continue to live,” Romanelli said to those attending the service.

Christians in occupied Palestinian territories are increasingly under threat. From extremist Zionist settlers committing thousands of attacks in the occupied West Bank to extremist politicians ordering full-scale destruction of civilian targets in Gaza and beyond.

According to Father Romanelli, there was 1,017 Christians living in Gaza among 2.3 million people in Oct. 2023. Now, there’s an estimated 600 Christians still living in Gaza, spread among the three active Christian churches in Gaza City.

About 450 of the 600 Palestinian Christians in Gaza are sheltering in Holy Family after a peak of sheltering around 700 people during the war. The other 150 are sheltering in the Greek Orthodox St. Porphyrios Church and the Gaza Baptist Church.

Between 30 and 44 Christians have been killed by Israel since the war on Gaza. Last year, Father Romanelli was injured, and several people were killed after Israel struck the church for least the third time.

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