With broken hearts and righteous indignation, the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr condemns in the strongest possible terms the reprehensible attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza — the last Catholic sanctuary in the Strip — which occurred today July 17, 2025.
This sacred church, dedicated to the worship of the Most High and the protection of the vulnerable, had become a refuge for hundreds of Orthodox and Catholic Christians, as well as other innocent souls — the elderly, women, children, and the disabled — who had sought safety within its holy walls. Instead, it became a scene of bloodshed.
We mourn the confirmed deaths of two innocent Orthodox Christian civilians and pray for the many others who were grievously wounded and traumatized by this senseless assault. These victims had entrusted their lives to the sanctuary of the Church, believing it to be a place of peace and safety. That their lives were extinguished and their bodies broken upon holy ground is an abomination before God and an affront to all humanity. This attack is not only a crime against these individuals but an assault on the entire Christian community of Gaza.
We denounce this assault not merely as a “tragic mistake” or an unfortunate incident, but as part of a pattern of desecrations in which houses of worship — churches, mosques, and synagogues — and the people within them have been reduced to targets rather than sanctuaries.
We call upon:
The Israeli government and military to immediately cease all operations that endanger civilians and to guarantee the inviolability of religious sites and humanitarian shelters, in accordance with international humanitarian law and the most basic principles of human decency.
The international community to demand accountability and to ensure this grievous injustice is neither ignored nor repeated.
All Christians, Muslims, and Jews of conscience to raise their voices and pray with one heart that such desecrations cease and that justice reigns.
To our brothers and sisters of the Holy Family Catholic Church and the entire Christian community in Gaza, we say: you are not forgotten. Your suffering is ours; your wounds are ours; your steadfast faith in the face of terror inspires and shames the world into action.
As we seek to help sustain the Christian faithful of the Holy Land and wider Middle East, the Order of Saint George the Great Martyr reaffirms its unshakable commitment to stand with you, to advocate for you, and to labor until justice is done and peace is restored.
The stones of our sanctuaries may be shattered, but our faith will not be broken. The darkness may fall heavy, but the light of Christ shines still.
May the memories of Saad Issa Salame and Foumia Aiad be eternal. May the wounded find healing. May Father Gabriel Romanelli find strength and courage. And may those responsible be brought to account before both heaven and earth.
The Order remains steadfast in its commitment to the community of Saint Porphyrios, to Archbishop Alexios of Tiberias, to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and to all Christians who live and breathe across Gaza, the Holy Land, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and the wider Middle East.
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