At dawn on October 3, 2026, an Israeli airstrike struck an apartment building in Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of Maisa Abu Dawoud and her daughter Mary, members of Gaza’s dwindling Greek Orthodox community. Their deaths add to the mounting toll on the Christian population in Gaza, which has halved since the outbreak of the ongoing conflict. Since hostilities escalated, a total of 58 Christians have died either amid military attacks or due to related illnesses.
Bishop William Shomali, the vicar general of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, cited the current Christian population in Gaza as approximately 550 individuals. Speaking from his office near Jerusalem’s Old City, Shomali described the community as exhausted and deeply affected by the violence, with many members hoping to leave the area for safety.
Shomali, born in 1950 in the West Bank town of Beit Sahur and consecrated auxiliary bishop in 2010, oversees a patriarchate spanning Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Cyprus. His role requires balancing pastoral responsibilities with diplomatic engagement amid the ongoing conflict.
Prior to the war, most of Gaza’s Christians lived around key religious centers including the Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches in Gaza City, and their children attended Christian schools in the area. As fighting intensified, many sought refuge within church compounds to escape shelling; however, these sanctuaries sometimes became targets themselves. For instance, on October 19, 2023, an Israeli airstrike destroyed part of a building within the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius compound in Gaza City, resulting in further casualties.
The broader conflict has deeply impacted Gaza’s Christian community, which is now struggling to maintain its presence amid growing displacement and fatalities. Bishop Shomali emphasizes both the need for humanitarian assistance and the community’s desire for peaceful coexistence and reconciliation, even as many of its members face difficult choices about their future in the region.