Gaza's Palestinian Christians – who are they?

Gaza's population of over two million is almost completely Muslim, though there is a small community of around 1,000 Christians.

While the majority are Greek Orthodox, there are also Roman Catholics living there.

The Christian population of Palestine as a whole has fallen significantly since the 1948 Nakba ("catastrophe" in Arabic), when some 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed when Israel was founded.

Like their Muslim neighbours, Gazan Christians have lived under a crushing Israeli-led blockade since 2007. At the time the blockade was imposed, there were some 3,500 Christians in the strip.

The blockade of the enclave became a complete siege as Israel completely cut off electricity, water, food and fuel and launched a devastating and indiscriminate bombing campaign against the enclave.

Christian sites have not been spared in the Israeli blitz, which has killed over 4,100 people, mostly women and children. The strikes began after Hamas launched a surprise attack inside Israel on 7 October, killing 1,400 people.

Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital

The world watched on in horror as an Israeli strike hit Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital on Tuesday, leaving 471 people dead, according to the Gazan health ministry. Israel says it was not responsible and that the blast was caused by a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.

Archbishop Hosam Naoum said the day after the explosion that the Israeli army had contacted hospital managers at least three times since Saturday, telling patients and staff to leave the site, The New York Times reported.

It wasn't the first time the Baptist hospital, operated by the Anglican Church, had been struck. It was "hit by Israeli rocket fire" on Saturday, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said.

Saint Porphyrius Church

Another tragedy would befall Gaza's Christians on Thursday when Gaza City's ancient Saint Porphyrius Church was hit by an Israeli airstrike.

"The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its strongest condemnation of the Israeli air strike that has struck its church compound in the city of Gaza," the Orthodox Church said.

The Gazan health ministry said 16 people were killed.

The church, which has been used as a place of refuge during previous escalations in Gaza, had been hosting hundreds of people amid the current war – both Christians and Muslims.

The Israeli army said it was targeting a nearby militant site but added that its attack had damaged "a wall of a church in the area". It said it was aware of reports on casualties and was conducting a review.

The Israeli military added that it "can unequivocally state that the Church was not the target of the strike".

Witnesses said the damage inside the church was extensive.

"This shows that the targets of the Israeli occupation are the unarmed people, children, women and the elderly," the Palestinian Churches Council said in a statement.

The first church was built where the Saint Porphyrius Church now stands as far back as 425 CE. The current church has stood since the 12th century.

Cut off from holy sites

Just as Muslim Palestinians in Gaza can only dream of visiting occupied East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in their faith, the enclave's Christian communities are cut off from their sacred places.

Hundreds of Christians were denied a permit by Israel to travel to the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas last year, under the pretext of security reasons.

Only 518 were issued West Bank permits and "most of these permits were issued to dead or migrant people", the Deir Latin Church in Gaza said.

"Unfortunately, the Israeli occupation is insisting on imposing its unacceptable restrictions on us only because we live in Gaza," Orthodox Christian Elias Jelda said at the time.

He was forced to attend festivities virtually through video call with his son.

Reuters contributed to this story.