Gaza: For Christians, the Ceasefire Seems Like a Way of the Cross

While the ceasefire had raised hopes of respite, the realities on the ground tell a very different story for the approximately 1,000 Christians in Gaza, mostly concentrated around the Latin Catholic parish of the Holy Family and the Orthodox Church of St. Porphyry.

Christians didn't have to choose between penances at the beginning of Lent. As early as March 2nd, barely after the first phase of the ceasefire had ended, Israel suspended the entry of goods and supplies, closing all crossings into Gaza.

Adding to this the increasing number of roadblocks, the daily life of Christians resembles a survival operation: "Honestly? For us in the West Bank, the ceasefire has made the situation even worse," said Fr. Louis Salman, priest in charge of youth pastoral care throughout the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem, in an interview with the pontifical organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

"Since the ceasefire, they have closed even more roads, which has made travel even more difficult. Before, it took two hours to travel from Jifna to Zababdeh by road, now it takes four," said the priest of Jordanian origin.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, confirmed the gravity of the situation to ACN: "Living conditions have deteriorated considerably in the West Bank and Gaza," the high prelate confirmed. Sixteen thousand people are languishing in refugee camps in Jenin (West Bank), and more than 900 checkpoints paralyze the movement of people and goods.

For Fr. Salman, there is no question of giving up: the priest has even planned to take young people to Rome as part of the Jubilee Year to boost their morale. "After a year of war, most of our young people are desperate, and the idea is to boost their morale. The goal is to have a profound spiritual experience, not just to have fun. Psychologically, it is important to participate in international activities to understand that on a global scale, they are not a minority."

Beyond the material difficulties, the future of Gaza's Christians is clouded by the lack of a clear political perspective. The ceasefire has not resolved issues of governance or reconstruction of the enclave. Hamas, weakened but still present, maintains its hold, while negotiations with Israel are stalled. 

The extraordinary Arab summit in Cairo adopted a plan on March 4th to consider the future of Gaza in response to the American president's radical plan to place the Palestinian enclave under U.S. control by displacing its two million inhabitants.

But the Arab states' plan will struggle to gain the support of the White House occupant as long as it fails to answer the key question: who will hold the reins of power in a region ruined by seventeen months of war? while the Hamas terrorist movement still has numerous strongholds there. Israel has been trying to break these strongholds again since the ceasefire ended on March 17, 2025.

In this context, the Christian minority, which represents less than 0.05% of the Gazan population, feels more vulnerable than ever. Historically rooted in the region since the early centuries of Christianity, its numbers have dwindled, dropping from 7,000 members 20 years ago to around 1,000 today, mostly affiliated with the Orthodox.