ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
OUR MAIN PHOTO: From the funeral of the two womwn
The deaths of a Christian mother and daughter in Gaza have renewed scrutiny of Israeli strikes that have also hit churches and killed members of the enclave’s small Christian community. Church leaders say the repeated losses threaten the survival of one of the region’s oldest Christian populations.
By Helleniscope’s Editorial Team
The deaths of a Palestinian Christian mother and daughter in an Israeli airstrike have renewed attention on a series of incidents in which Christians and church compounds have been hit during Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud and her daughter, Mary Hafez Michel Najjar Abu Daoud, were killed on the night of October 2 when an Israeli strike hit a residential building in Gaza City. Church authorities confirmed their deaths, and they were buried the following day at the historic Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius.
Reuters reported that at least five Palestinians were killed in the strike, four of them women. Here is the video from their funeral:
The Israeli military said it carried out an operation that night targeting Ali al-Amoudi, a senior Hamas political figure, inside a residential building. It said precautions were taken to reduce civilian casualties. The military did not identify the two Christian women, and the precise link between its announced operation and the strike that killed them was not initially independently established.
Their deaths add to several documented cases in which members of Gaza’s small Christian community have been killed during Israeli military action.
In July 2025, an Israeli strike hit Gaza’s Holy Family Catholic Church, killing three Christians — Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud — and wounding others, including parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli. Israel acknowledged that its forces hit the church but said the strike was unintended.
One of the deadliest incidents occurred on October 19, 2023, when an Israeli airstrike hit a building inside the compound of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius, where hundreds of civilians were sheltering.
Amnesty International documented 18 civilian deaths in that strike. Israel said it had been targeting a Hamas command center in the area. Amnesty later said its investigation found no indication that the building that was struck constituted a military objective.
Another disputed case followed in December 2023, when the Latin Patriarchate said an Israeli sniper killed Nahida Anton and her daughter Samar inside the Holy Family parish compound. Israel denied that its forces were responsible.
Taken together, the incidents show that Gaza’s Christian population has repeatedly suffered deaths and damage during Israeli operations, including strikes on or near places of worship.
What the available evidence does not establish is that Christians were targeted specifically because of their religion. Israel says its military operations are directed against Hamas and other armed groups, not religious communities.
For church leaders, however, the repeated deaths have raised a broader concern: whether Gaza’s already tiny Christian community can survive years of war, displacement and destruction.
The Greek Orthodox and Latin Patriarchates have both called for greater protection of civilians and religious sites, warning that the continued loss of life threatens one of the region’s oldest Christian communities.
October 5, 2026, www.helleniscope.com, n.stamatakis@aol.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
