The war in Gaza has caused utter destruction and devastation, with continuing attacks and danger to citizens. Through our contacts on the ground we reacted quickly to get immediate help to those sheltering in the Christian churches and buildings, largely in Gaza City, as well as increasing our emergency support elsewhere in the West Bank and Israel. 

We were devastated to hear of the attack on the Latin Church of the Holy Family and the subsequent deaths of three people. We have set up a news page to give an overview of the current situation here

Friends of the Holy Land is registered as a charity locally and so operate our own bank account in country which allows us to take swift, direct action. We were able to send out over £140,000 in the first few months, with confirmation that funds were received and used to buy provisions immediately. Since Easter it has been more difficult to send money out directly. We have continued to send money through the Diocese of Jerusalem to help the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza and the Latin Patriarchate to help with psycosocial support including trauma counselling as well as more recent payments towards aid deliveries and medications.

Initially there were around 4,000 people sheltering across the Christian churches and building around Gaza city but that number has now decreased as some people have been able to gain visas to leave Gaza or have moved south. Most who are not able to leave Gaza have opted to stay in the churches as they are seen as the safest places to be. Those sheltering are Christians, Muslims and people of no faith.  

The Christian population in the area started at just over 1,000. Since then we know that 45 have died - 17 were victims of bombings targeting the Greek Orthodox Church, 10 were due to health problems exacerbated by the cessation of medical services in Gaza, and 3 fell victim to Israeli snipers, 2 of whom were shot within the premises of the Holy Family church where they had sought shelter. 

There are around 500 sheltering at the Church of the Holy Family and around 200 at St Porphyrios church. That number is slowly dwindling as people are gradually able to raise the money to gain permits to enter Egypt. 

In December 24 we sent out £30,000 to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ) towards the cost of an aid shipment, organised by the LPJ. In view of the changing political landscape, the two agencies favoured by the Israeli authorities to send emergency supplies into Northern Gaza are the Government of Jordan and the Latin Patriarchate. Cardinal Pizzaballa has stated the importance of this work to assist the people of Gaza as both a humanitarian obligation and a pastoral responsibility. On his visit following the attack on the Holy Family Church, Cardinal Pizzaballa was able to take in a small aid delivery.

The primary focus of the shipment is on supporting those sheltering in the two churches, but given the complex situation, that assistance will be extended to non-Christians in need as well. The logistics are particularly complex because Israeli trucks are not allowed to enter Gaza. The LPJ must use a “back-to-back” method, transferring goods from Israeli to Palestinian trucks operated by a single designated company, which monopolizes this process. Each shipment typically includes 7–10 trucks, carrying a total weight of approximately 75–90 tons. Supplies such as meat and chicken remain prohibited in the shipment, but they are permitted to send canned goods, cleaning supplies, hygiene kits, beans, cooking oil, rice, flour, vegetables, and fruits, among other essentials. 

The monies we have been able to send so far have helped the Christian committee coordinating the care of so many people to buy water, food, basic medical supplies and other essentials where and when they are available. International Aid is coming into Gaza very slowly and struggles to reach Gaza City. Prices of food and fuel have increased to 10-15 times their pre-war price. George Akroush, director of the Project Development Office at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said: “20 litres of diesel cost €200 [£170], and only provide energy for the generators for two hours.” He said that 10 more people are at risk of dying because of a lack of adequate treatment. So far 34 Christians have died since October 7th, out of a population of just over 1000. Around 25% of the Christian population has left Gaza for other countries.

At the same time, the situation in the West Bank is deteriorating. There remain strict travel restrictions which, compounded by fear, have resulted in some intermittent food shortages of staples like flour, sugar and medications and inflated prices for these items in the longer term. Staple items like milk, bread and eggs have all increased by as much as 30%. Many bakeries have stopped selling more than just basic bread as people cannot afford to buy more expensive items like croissants and cakes.

Those who had permits to travel for work to Israel are no longer allowed to cross the border. Tourism has shut down so once again, those who rely on pilgrims and tourists for their income cannot earn any money. The public sector workers are being paid half salary as the Palestinian Authority has no money, the money has to be paid to them by Israel. 

But most of all there is fear. Fear of escalating violence, fear of attacks, fear of demonstrations and indiscriminate arrest for making comments (on social media or in person) and fear of an uncertain future. People mostly stay at home and very few venture out in the evenings, although there is no official curfew. Our team in Bethlehem and the wider West bank are still able to deliver our routine projects and grants to individuals and families, they report that the need is increasing.

Sadly there is also an increasing divide amongst the people and the religions. Even through previous conflicts, there were few tensions between the different religions. Now our Holy Land Committee report that there is suspicion from everyone and people no longer talk to each other from different religions in the street. There are increasing attacks on religious clergy. 

In response to the situation in the west Bank, we initially doubled our support for emergency cases to a budget of £10,000 per month and increased that again to £15,000. We have increased the numbers of children at the School of Joy  and we have started projects to help develop small businesses and create employment opportunities. We have also improved water supplies, replacing tanks for 48 families in Bethlehem and 90 families in Zababdeh plus digging new shallow wells, a £100,000 project in total. We are developing programmes of trauma therapy with local specialists for the West Bank and Gaza with a particular focus on children and programmes to mentor people into new vocations and small business as a route to generating income. Last summer we sponsored the external costs for 6 summer camps, delivering opportunities for children in the West Bank to simply be children and delivering trauma therapy at the same time. In 2025 we are funding 10 summer camps to help with the desperate need for services for the young people as they grapple with the situations they find themselves part of.

We will need your help to prepare for the longer-term impact of this terrible war. Obviously there will be a  need for rebuilding across Gaza, as well as other vital help such as medical treatment and trauma counselling not only in Gaza but in the West Bank and Israel in the aftermath of these dark times. We don’t know today how the challenges for Christians in the Holy Land may evolve, but we stand ready locally to provide relief where we can with your help.

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We have set up a prayer page dedicated to prayers for peace at this time

Banner photo: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem