The continuous Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023 has led to the destruction of more than one hundred archaeological and historical monuments, which were a witness to the city’s centuries-long cultural and civilizational history, according to a recent study conducted by the “Heritage for Peace” group.

These monuments that were subjected to significant damage were not limited to Islamic religious sanctities only; Rather, it also included Christian sanctities, including ancient architectural monuments such as the Tell Umm Amer site and the ancient Holy Family School, which is considered the oldest in Gaza, and even the Baptist Hospital, whose history extends back to the end of the nineteenth century, was not spared from the oppression of the occupation in a massacre that the survivors described as a holocaust. Real.

In this article, we will inform you of some of the Christian monuments that were targeted by the Israeli occupation in its aggression against the Gaza Strip, as part of a systematic plan to undermine the Palestinian heritage and eliminate any religious and historical symbol that indicates its existence.

The Church of Saint Privarius is the third oldest church in the world

The Israeli army directly targeted the Greek Orthodox Church, or as it is also known as the Church of St. Privarius, which is located in the center of Gaza City.

The Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem said that a Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip that was sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians was subjected to an Israeli air strike during the night, and Palestinian health officials said that 16 people were killed in the attack, according to Reuters.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate also described the Israeli attack on the Church of Porphyrios as a "war crime."

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, said, “The occupation aircraft bombed the Church of St. Privarius in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in southern Gaza, which led to severe material damage to parts of the church building, and a building next to it was destroyed.”

Saint Privarius Church following the Israeli bombing | Communication sites

The agency quoted local sources as saying that the building of the Council of Church Stewards, which houses a number of Palestinian families, both Christian and Muslim, who took refuge in the church in search of a “safe place,” was completely destroyed due to the bombing, as the Arab Post website reported to us.

According to the ART NEWS website, the founding of St. Privarius Church dates back to the fifth century, and the building was completed in its current form in the twelfth century.

Named after the former Bishop of Gaza, Saint Prevarius, the church is located above the spot where he is believed to have died in 420 BC.

Like the few remaining buildings from the Crusader era, the Greek Orthodox church was exquisitely designed on the inside and built with heavily fortified walls. The church represented a long-time refuge for the Christian minority and the Muslim community in Gaza.

During the 2014 bombing of Gaza, the church sheltered about 1,000 Palestinian Muslims who fled Israeli shells, according to Reuters.

The only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip

The Catholic community in the Gaza Strip consists of 133 people, and the Holy Family Church is the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip and its responsible priest is Gabriele Romanelli.

According to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem website, the church includes the Holy Family School, which can accommodate 300 students and was bombed, a kindergarten that can accommodate 50 children, and the home of the parish priest.

There are also two nuns inside the building, who help with parish activities, and are responsible for two homes for children and the elderly with disabilities.

A Christian funeral after the Catholic Church was targeted | Social networking sites

Holy Family School, which was bombed

The Holy Family School in Gaza was founded in 1974 by the Catholic Church. It is considered one of the best schools in Gaza, as it provides a high level of education and cultural exchange with Christian rituals, and provides religious instructions to Christian children.

Baptist Hospital: An ethnic cleansing massacre against civilians

The Baptist Hospital massacre is the oldest massacre in Gaza. It was a massacre committed by the Israeli Air Force in the early night hours of October 17, 2023 on the hospital located in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City.

It is an ethnic cleansing massacre committed in full view of the world, against civilians who took refuge in the hospital courtyards to escape the continuous and intense bombing that targeted their homes, and also damaged the streets, places of worship, and even the schools in which they took refuge.

According to the Arab Post website, the founding of the hospital dates back to the end of the nineteenth century AD, specifically in 1882, in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the Gaza Strip. It was founded by the missionary mission of England at that time, and it was affiliated with the Anglican Episcopal Church in Jerusalem.

Baptist massacre | Social networking sites

It was the only hospital in the area between Jaffa and Port Said, and it provided health care to residents of areas near the Gaza Strip. The hospital is surrounded by the Church of Saint Porphyrius, the Al-Shamaa Mosque, and the cemetery of Sheikh Shaaban.

It is noteworthy that the hospital was looted and stolen in 1919 after World War I, which led to its rebuilding and it was given a new name: “Ahli Arab Hospital,” according to the same source.

The hospital developed into, before it was subjected to occupation bombing, an integrated health institution with different departments and multiple medical care services for patients.

The Byzantine Church...the mosaic that was destroyed by the occupation

The Byzantine Church located in the city of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, was subjected to targeted bombing by Israeli occupation aircraft, according to what was confirmed by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism. It also stated that “the church building was subjected to severe damage as a result of the Israeli bombing, which caused cracks that may threaten the infrastructure of the place.”

The Ministry also stated that the bombing that targeted the church “may destroy the major maintenance and restoration efforts that the Ministry supervised and implemented in 2017.”

The founding of the church, which is considered one of the most important archaeological and Christian heritage sites in the Gaza Strip, dates back to 1,600 years, according to Quds Press Agency.

The floor of the Byzantine church contains a group of mosaic paintings, such as palm trees and fruit. It also includes various engravings and decorations, including animal and geometric ones.

The church's animal decorations, "lions, deer, and sea fish," symbolize the stability and calm that prevailed in Christian life in the Gaza Strip, according to the same agency.

The Byzantine church also consists of 3 aisles: The first is intended for priests and monks, the second is the prayer gallery, and the third is the baptismal gallery.

The Church has 16 founding texts in the ancient Greek language, which is considered one of the largest founding texts within the churches.

Saint Hilarion Monastery...the oldest monastery in Palestine

According to the ART NEWSPAPER website, the Monastery of Saint Hilarion is part of the archaeological hill of Umm Amer in Gaza City, a site included on the UNESCO Heritage List since 2012. It is located in the coastal village of Nuseirat, about 8.5 kilometers south of the Strip.

The Monastery of Saint Hilarion, known as the archaeological hill of Umm Amer, is the first, oldest and largest monastery built in Palestine during the Byzantine era, as it dates back to the year 329, when Saint Hilarion established his first hermitage in that place.

The archaeological remains of the Monastery of Saint Hilarion, discovered in 1997 by the Department of Antiquities in Gaza, cover an area of more than 14,500 square metres. The time period to which these ruins belong extends from the fourth century to the ninth century AD, which in turn extends from the Roman era until the Abbasid Islamic era. The monastery It is also considered the oldest site in the Holy Land in Gaza, given that its founder was Saint Hilarion, who is considered the father of monasticism in Palestine.

Saint Hilarion Monastery before the aggression | Communication sites

The monastery contains five churches, baths, sacred complexes, complex geometric mosaics, and a spacious crypt.

The supervisor of the archaeological site of Saint Hilarion, Muhammad Abdel Jawad, states that “until 1993, the place was a hill of sand, until stones and antiquities were discovered during a project to divide the Palestinian lands.”

He added: "At that time, the Gaza Strip was ruled by the Israeli occupation, and as soon as he learned of the information, he turned the place into a closed military zone. He worked in the place for an entire year, during which helicopters would land to loot and steal the site's antiquities."

Israel's bombing of Christian sites | Social networking sites

We cannot conclude our article without mentioning that dozens of these Christian archaeological sites that were targeted by the Israeli occupation in its aggression against the Gaza Strip, in a horrific historical and religious cleansing campaign, are located in a country considered the cradle of the Christian religion in the world, given its archaeological sites, in addition to containing... The Church of the Nativity, in which Jesus Christ was born in the city of Bethlehem, and therefore it is no wonder that Muslims and Christians in Gaza coexist there in the most beautiful way of meeting and integrating religions... This is a peace that disturbs the occupation and disturbs it. As these Christians are also considered to be the owners of the land in Gaza City; Their presence there dates back to the year 402 AD, according to BBC Arabic, and therefore their presence preceded the arrival of the occupation in 1948. For it, this constitutes sufficient reason to uproot their history by destroying their sanctities.

Source: Arabic Post