“I fear that because of the war, the risk is that the Christian community in Gaza will disappear,” said Father Francesco Patton, the head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
“The Christian population is always a peaceful population and the risk when there are conflicts, confrontations and war, is that the Christian population is the first victim after every war,” Father Patton explained.
At the moment, Father Patton reported, the Christians in Gaza are relatively safe, as Israeli military efforts have concentrated on the Hamas militia. “But we don’t know the evolution during the next days,” he added. Some Christian families have already fled the region, before the borders closed.