Christians in Gaza City celebrated Palm Sunday, the preceding Easter, at the Porphyrius Orthodox Church on Sunday, just hours after the Israeli occupation forces bombed the reception and emergency room at the nearby Baptist Hospital.

The joyful expressions on the faces of the celebrants were absent, despite it being a joyous occasion that Christians look forward to year after year, especially children, as parents dress their children in festive attire and hold tall candles amidst an atmosphere of joy.

The Church of Saint Porphyrius is an Eastern Orthodox church in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City and is the oldest in the city. It is named after Saint Porphyrius, who was buried there. His tomb is located in its northeastern corner.

The Baptist Hospital is affiliated with the Anglican Episcopal Church in Jerusalem, which runs it. There is a church next to it that was severely damaged by Israeli bombing.

The Baptist Hospital is located in a residential area in the Zeitoun neighborhood of the Gaza Strip. To the west of the hospital is the Church of St. Philip the Evangelist. Umm al-Limon Street, which connects Palestine Square to the north and Asqalan Square to the south, separates the two hospitals. It connects Palestine Square to the north and Asqalan Square to the south, and ends at Omar al-Mukhtar Street. The Greek Orthodox Church of Porphyrius, built in the fifth century AD, is located approximately 230 meters south of the hospital.

The hospital is located in the Candle District, which includes the Latin Monastery Church and a private temple for Christian nuns, called the "Rosary Sisters" and "Dar Al Salam."

This morning, Israeli warplanes bombed the Baptist Hospital in central Gaza City, destroying one of its buildings and damaging and setting fire to several of its departments, putting it out of service.

This comes amid the ongoing tragedy in the Gaza Strip, as the occupation continues to commit genocide against our people in the Strip for 18 months.

Palm Sunday is the seventh Sunday of Lent, and the last Sunday before Good Friday, which is followed by the commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ.