Palestinian Christians despair as Gaza homeland destroyed by Israel’s war

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When Khalil Sayegh thinks backmost to his puerility successful nan Gaza Strip, nan Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius looms ample successful his memory.

Sayegh, now 29, remembers nan weddings, nan Sunday School classes, nan euphony lessons and nan visits to nan mini graveyard.

These days, Sayegh lives successful Washington, DC, wherever erstwhile President Donald Trump will retake powerfulness successful January aft beating Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris in nan United States statesmanlike election this week.

Trump’s governmental comeback has added a caller furniture of uncertainty for Palestinians – not conscionable those wrong Gaza, which Israel has subjected to near-relentless bombardment and crushed assaults for nan past 13 months – but besides those who, for illustration Sayegh, person family location and are watching helplessly from afar.

They person been deeply angered by nan existent Democratic Party administration’s nonaccomplishment to clasp Israel to relationship for a warfare which has resulted successful nan deaths of much than 43,391 Palestinians – and thousands much who are missing and presumed dormant nether nan rubble. More than 100,000 group person been injured and astir each nan enclave’s organization of 2.3 cardinal are displaced.

As president of Israel’s mightiest ally, Joe Biden has persisted pinch his unwavering support for nan country, refusing to halt subject aid, and Kamala Harris has not strayed from this position.

Many Arab Americans felt compelled to lavation their hands of nan Democrats successful this predetermination and voted alternatively for nan Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, who promised to get a ceasefire and halt arms assistance and income to Israel.

Sayegh’s homeland, which now lies mostly successful rubble and ruins, has been ravaged successful nan past twelvemonth by this war, which has been mostly funded by nan US. Hundreds of thousands of homes person been destroyed while hospitals and schools person been targeted successful Israeli strikes.

But Sayegh returns to memories of amended times. A personnel of nan Gaza Strip’s mini but ancient Christian community, he recalls, particularly, nan Divine Liturgy celebrated astatine St Porphyrius each Sunday – nan lengthy, ancient rite blending chanting, incense and prayers successful Arabic and ancient Greek.

The religion and surrounding compound, parts of which day backmost to nan 5th period CE, was a hub for Gaza’s Christian community.

Today, overmuch of it lies successful ruins. In October past year, an Israeli aerial strike destroyed 1 of nan buildings successful nan compound, sidesplitting astatine slightest 17 people.

About 400 Palestinians, some Christians and Muslims, had taken refuge there, successful nan dream that nan religion would beryllium spared nan devastating bombing being visited connected nan surrounding area.

The religion was among a number that had opened their doors to Palestinians fleeing nan aerial strikes, which began connected October 7 past year.

‘My bosom was broken’

On nan different broadside of nan city, nan Catholic Parish of nan Holy Family had besides welcomed astir 600 of them, among them Sayegh’s parents and 2 of his siblings.

In December, a fewer months aft nan family had arrived astatine nan church, an IDF sniper killed 2 Christian women, a mother and daughter, arsenic they walked from 1 building wrong nan Holy Family compound to another. One was changeable arsenic she attempted to transportation nan different to safety.

Then, connected December 21, a fewer days earlier Christmas, Sayegh’s father, Jeries – traumatised by what he had seen – suffered what appeared to beryllium a bosom attack, which yet proved fatal. He was 68 years old.

“There was nary medicine near successful nan compound, and ambulances were not allowed successful by nan IDF,” Sayegh tells Al Jazeera. “If my begetter had been capable to entree aesculapian care, he would still beryllium present today.”

Several months later, calamity would onslaught again. In April, Sayegh’s 18-year-old sister, Lara, died – apparently from heatstroke – arsenic she attempted to fly Gaza via nan confederate border.

Lara was travelling pinch her mother to Egypt, wherever she hoped to find information and enrol successful university. The brace had obtained nan basal permits, and were travelling connected what Israeli authorities described arsenic nan “safe route” – which progressive a seven-kilometre hike connected ft pinch nary entree to h2o aliases aesculapian facilities, supervised by equipped drones.

The travel proved excessively overmuch for Lara, who tragically died connected nan way.

A comparative called Sayegh pinch nan news. “My bosom was broken,” he says. “In that moment, it was intolerable to consciousness immoderate comfort, moreover from God.”

How does a personification of religion navigate specified intense, repeated individual tragedies?

Despair, Sayegh notes, is an constituent that crops up successful overmuch of nan Christian theological tradition, arsenic a consequence to nan unspeakable evils of nan world. The Psalms lament that “the afflictions of nan righteous are many” while “the wicked outpouring up for illustration grass”.

But, Sayegh says, Christianity contains different element, too, 1 moreover much powerful than despair: belief successful resurrection. At nan halfway of nan Christian religion is nan thought that life has triumphed complete death, that bully has triumphed complete evil – and will proceed to do so, moreover erstwhile things look to beryllium astatine their bleakest.

Living a puerility successful crisis

Sayegh was calved successful 1994, to middle-class Christian parents. He was 1 of 4 children, and grew up successful Gaza City, successful nan bluish portion of nan Strip.

Although nan family were comparatively prosperous, they were successful truth refugees, having mislaid their location successful nan 1948 expulsions by Zionist gangs and nan ensuing warfare that Palestinians mention to arsenic nan “Nakba”, aliases “catastrophe”.

As good arsenic nan play Sunday services, and nan large feasts for illustration Easter and Christmas, Christian life successful Gaza revolved astir a number of taste institutions, specified arsenic nan Arab Orthodox Centre and nan Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).

Every Thursday, Sayegh would sojourn nan YMCA, and during nan summers he would be camps there.

“It was benignant of nan centre of young life successful Gaza”, he recalls. “It’s wherever you would spell to nan gym, play football, play tennis. It’s wherever you would person nosy and build your friendships.”

Until 2005, erstwhile Sayegh was 10, thousands of Israeli soldiers were coming successful nan Strip, protecting their forbidden settlements there.

Military checkpoints meant that driving from 1 portion of Gaza to nan different could return 5 aliases six hours, contempt nan truth that nan Strip is only 40km (25 miles) long. Classes successful schoolhouse were often cancelled, Sayegh remembers, erstwhile teachers from nan southbound were incapable to make it to his schoolhouse successful nan north.

There were predominant Israeli aerial strikes too, and gunfights, peculiarly during nan 5 years of nan Second Intifada from 2000 to 2005.

In 2005, Israeli forces withdrew wholly from Gaza, taking nan Israeli settlers pinch them. Over nan pursuing years, nan equipped governmental group Hamas, which had ne'er antecedently had power of nan Strip, came to power.

The ascension of Hamas was a interest for nan Christian community, says Sayegh, but successful nan extremity they were surprised: Hamas chose to connection protection to churches and different Christian institutions. This was, he believes, chiefly a governmental strategy, a measurement to amended Hamas’s image successful nan West – but it besides made a existent difference, arsenic nan group thwarted various fundamentalist attacks connected section Christians.

That is not to opportunity location were nary problems. Sayegh notes that location was a “gradual Islamisation of nan nationalist square” pursuing Hamas’s takeover. “It became rather difficult to return portion successful nationalist life if you were a Christian aliases moreover a secular Muslim,” he says.

In precocious 2008, Israel launched a 22-day land, naval and air bombardment which killed immoderate 1,400 Palestinians, injured thousands and destroyed astir 46,000 houses, leaving immoderate 100,000 group homeless.

It was pursuing that disaster, that Sayegh, aged conscionable 14, decided to fly Gaza for nan comparative information of nan West Bank. He had obtained a week-long licence to be Easter celebrations successful Jerusalem astatine nan extremity of which he simply did not return location – his beingness successful nan West Bank frankincense becoming, successful nan eyes of nan Israeli government, illegal.

“I near by myself, without my parents’ permission,” Sayegh says now. “I was alone. It was very, very hard.”

Amid this crisis, Sayegh knowledgeable what he describes arsenic a “Come-to-Jesus” moment. Although he had been raised an Orthodox Christian, he had ne'er been peculiarly devout, but successful nan West Bank he met a number of fervent Palestinian Protestants who inspired him to return his religion much seriously.

Inspired, Sayegh enrolled successful nan Bethlehem Bible College. He continued his theological studies for 4 years but began to realise that his passion laic elsewhere, successful nan section of politics.

“Studying theology successful nan Palestinian discourse continually raises governmental questions,” he says. “I ever felt for illustration location was thing missing from my analysis.”

It was this liking successful authorities that yet led Sayegh to nan US, wherever he now lives. In 2021, he arrived successful Washington, DC, to prosecute a master’s grade successful governmental science. Then, successful nan summertime of 2023, he was informed that nan Israeli authorities would not let him to return to nan West Bank – he would only beryllium permitted to spell to Gaza.

As a result, Sayegh was forced to stay successful nan US, wherever he is continuing his studies and moving arsenic a governmental analyst. He is presently applying for asylum.

‘We are utilized to our Western brothers and sisters ignoring us’

Sayegh’s communicative is not different for a Christian from Gaza.

The pre-war Christian organization of nan Strip was astir 1,000. At slightest respective twelve Christians person been killed since nan warfare began – equivalent, Sayegh points out, to astir 5 percent of nan community,

“Everyone I speak to who’s presently sheltering astatine nan St Porphyrius religion is looking to time off Gaza,” Sayegh says. “The mostly of nan houses successful nan north, wherever nan Christians lived, person been bombed. Everything is destroyed. People person nary logic to stay.”

Despite this, galore Western Christians – peculiarly US evangelicals – stay committed defenders of Israel. “We’re utilized to our brothers and sisters successful nan West wholly ignoring us,” says Sayegh. “It’s not new.”

A notable objection successful this regard, he points out, is Pope Francis, who has been appealing for a ceasefire since nan earliest days of nan war, and calls Gaza’s Catholic parish each time to perceive astir nan business there.

“I proceed to person very sedate and achy news from Gaza,” Francis said astatine a play blessing successful mid-December past year.

“Unarmed civilians are nan objects of bombings and shootings. And this happened moreover wrong nan Holy Family parish complex, wherever location are nary terrorists, but families, children, group who are sick aliases disabled, nuns.”

Given nan situation, says Sayegh, nan endurance of Gaza’s ancient Christian organization “just seems for illustration an intolerable task”.

For Sayegh, a measurement to header has been defense for nan Palestinian cause. He crisscrosses nan US, gathering pinch organization groups, churches and speaking to nan media.

A fewer years ago, Sayegh founded nan Agora Initiative, a nonprofit organisation which advocates for bid betwixt Israelis and Palestinians. He did truthful together pinch an Israeli friend, Elazar Weiss, a PhD student astatine Yale.

The consequence to their activism has been mostly positive, Sayegh says. Many Americans, he notes, person a constricted knowing of nan region’s history, and truthful moreover learning a fewer basal facts tin thief them to grasp nan value of serene co-existence and Palestinian rights.

“They admit that we do it together,” Sayegh adds, “as an Israeli and a Palestinian.”

Recent events, however, person forced nan brace to rethink their operations. “What nan existent warfare has made clear,” Sayegh says, “is that you can’t talk astir bid and practice betwixt Israelis and Palestinians without first delivering justice. That intends ending nan occupation.”

Sayegh and Weiss are now putting their power into promoting nan Arab Peace Initiative, a connection backed by nan Arab League, which offers normalisation of relations pinch Israel successful return for its afloat withdrawal from Gaza, nan West Bank and nan Golan Heights, each recognised arsenic being illegally occupied nether world law.

“A ceasefire successful Gaza is not enough,” Sayegh stresses. “That’s putting your extremity measurement excessively low. The Palestinian struggle is not astir a ceasefire – we’re struggling for liberation from occupation, for nan decolonisation of nan West Bank, nan dismantlement of nan forbidden settlements. That’s our goal.”

For now, however, this purpose remains a distant one.

At nan Church of St Porphyrius, immoderate 400 Palestinians, including Sayegh’s surviving sister, are still taking shelter from nan Israeli war. They person small energy aliases food, and nan religion has continued to suffer bombardments.

The YMCA wherever Sayegh spent overmuch of his childhood, meanwhile, has go a literal cemetery, pinch galore group now buried nether nan shot transportation he erstwhile played on.

“The suffering conscionable goes connected and on,” Sayegh says. “Right now, location is nary extremity successful sight.”

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