Carolers Amid Rubble: Gaza’s First Wartime Christmas Plans Forged in Hope and Hunger
Against a landscape of profound devastation, Gaza’s resilient Christian community is making poignant preparations for a muted Christmas, the first since last year’s deadly conflict. Led by Father Gabriel Romanelli of Gaza City’s Holy Family Church, the faithful are rehearsing choirs and traditional Palestinian dabke dances, clinging to rituals of joy while surrounded by dire need. “The world should know that there are over two million people here who have nothing and need everything,” Father Romanelli told Aid to the Church in Need, capturing the stark reality facing his congregation. His plans to bring chocolate to the sick—”whatever the cost”—and to possibly hold a small celebration outside the church walls symbolize a defiant flicker of light in overwhelming darkness.
The Holy Family Church compound itself shelters some 450 people, including many with disabilities who could not flee the city during the war. Since the ceasefire began, the church and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem have provided essential support to more than 12,000 families. Yet, this season of anticipated joy is overshadowed by immense suffering. In his call for global prayers for peace for all inhabitants of the Holy Land, Father Romanelli frames this fragile Christmas not as a triumphant celebration, but as a profound act of faith—a quiet, determined testament to survival and humanity amid the ruins.
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