Storms, snipers, and survival: Gaza’s Christians endure war and winter – Mission Network News

Gaza (MNN) — Israel and Hamas exchange hostage remains while winter rains bring a new level of misery to Palestinians in Gaza.
Many live in tents or temporary shelters that are easily flooded by the cold deluge. A US project could soon provide housing for thousands of Palestinians, but it would require them to move to Israeli-controlled territory.
Gaza’s two above-ground churches shelter hundreds of Palestinian Christians from the harsh weather. However, believers are not immune to hardship. Essential supplies for daily life are in short supply there.
“We tried to help as much as we could, to strengthen them and support them, but it’s like living in hell,” President of Bethlehem Bible College, Jack Sara, says.
“They don’t know if they will survive the next day, because it’s a fact that even the churches were fire bombed and shelled. We had over 20 people who were killed inside the churches.”
Stepping outside the church walls – even briefly – also brought danger. “A few were killed by snipers,” Sara says.
“Two women, for example, at the Catholic Church; another who was a music teacher and music minister at the Baptist Church, was killed by a sniper bullet and left to die on the street.”
Before and during the latest ceasefire, family members outside Gaza – including some who work at Bethlehem Bible College – have worked to gather support.
Representative AI photo of Palestinian Christian created by ChatGPT.
“We mainly communicated and channeled whatever help we could through the churches that are there,” Sara says. “We have run a school for many months now, a medical clinic, food, clothing, and special gifts for children.”
Nearly half of Gaza’s known Christians left the war-torn enclave during previous ceasefires. “Before the war, there were about 1,000 Christians living in Gaza. Sadly, after two years of war, I think we have about 600 at a maximum,” Sara says.
Those who remain in Gaza need your prayers. Ask the Lord to help Palestinian Christians trust Him with an unknown future. “Pray for settlement for the Christian community. We need to pray that resources will be offered so they can rebuild their lives again,” Sara says.
“I cannot guarantee that those Christians who are there now will stay. It’s a horrible situation. If all of them lost their houses and were offered a way out to live somewhere else, I cannot blame them for that – especially if you have small children and you want them to live in a safe zone,” he continues.
“Nothing guarantees that Israel will not do war again in Gaza.”
Pray for a “just peace that is not just calming the war, but that people will have their dignity and freedom of movement,” Sara requests.
“They [can] live in their houses and cultivate their land without fear that it will be taken from them or confiscated.”
 
 
 
Header and story images are representative AI-generated photos of Palestinian Christians, created by ChatGPT. 
Bethlehem Bible College
270 Hebron-Jerusalem Street, Bethlehem, Palestine
P.O. Box 11737, Jerusalem 91116, Israel
© 2025 Mission Network News.

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