by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
GAZA CITY/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Mourners gathered Saturday for Palestinian Orthodox Christians Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud and her daughter Mary Hafez Abu Daoud, who were among five Palestinians allegedly killed in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in Gaza City.
The Israeli military did not immediately confirm the latest reported strike, which Hamas-controlled Palestinian health officials said also killed two other women and a young man while injuring six people.
However, Israel has denied deliberately targeting civilians and says Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, uses innocent Palestinians as human shields.
Church officials confirmed the deaths of the two Christian women, whose funeral was held at the historic Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, expressed “deep sorrow and condolences” over their deaths, while Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Alexios and the parish priest also mourned the women.
TINY CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Their deaths marked another setback for Gaza’s tiny Christian minority, with only about 600 Christians estimated to remain among the predominantly Muslim population after years of conflict, displacement and emigration.
Before the Hamas massacre of about 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war, estimates of Gaza’s Christian population ranged from roughly 1,000 to 1,700 people.
Many of those who remain have sought refuge at church compounds, particularly the Roman Catholic Holy Family Church and the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, as fighting devastated large parts of the Gaza Strip.
The latest deaths added to losses already suffered by the community during the conflict. Church-linked reports say dozens of Christians have died since the war began, including people killed during attacks affecting church compounds.
CEASEFIRE UNDER PRESSURE
Saturday’s strike came amid renewed violence despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in place since October 2025.
Israel says Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of the ceasefire, while Hamas denies trying to rebuild its arsenal or carry out attacks and accuses Israel of undermining the agreement.
The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry says more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and Hamas gunmen. Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza during the same period.
Since the war began, Hamas-linked Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed and over 175,000 wounded in Gaza. Israel disputes the figures and says its military operations target Hamas and other armed groups.
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