In the Gaza Strip, the small Christian community is exhausted by war and hunger, their pastor told Vatican Radio.
Meanwhile Israeli strikes killed at least 32 people 13 July, including six children and a surgeon en route to Al-Ahli Hospital.
Father Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Parish in Gaza City said food is scarce and prices have skyrocketed—with flour at $11 a pound, sugar at $50, and coffee nearly $300 for two pounds—though even those supplies are nearly impossible to find.
Of Gaza’s 1,017 Christians before the war, about 500 remain sheltering on parish grounds, with over 50 killed since October 2023 when the Israel-Hamas war started.
Father Romanelli described the area as “only death and destruction,” but said prayer sustains his flock despite their deep fatigue.
He recalled Pope Francis’ nightly calls as a source of hope, and pleaded: “We are counting on your prayers.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s proposed resettlement plan for Palestinians in Rafah drew international criticism as “ethnic cleansing.”