«Gaza has been shredded». That is the image used by Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family in Gaza City, speaking via video link at the Meeting of Rimini during the session “Loving the Holy Land”.
Romanelli compared the situation in the Strip to the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, with one key difference: «It’s as if, after that tsunami, no one had come to help the population». He added that the emergency keeps worsening because every delay in aid deepens an already dire situation.
According to figures cited by the priest, around 2.3 million people live in the Strip and «are in absolute need of everything». The Christian community, both Catholic and Orthodox, has dwindled to just 541 people, down from more than a thousand before October 7, 2023. Romanelli also recalled the Christians who died during the war, some killed directly in military operations and others due to lack of medical care.
Among the most pressing problems is water. The parish’s cistern continues to supply more than 400 families in the neighbourhood, most of them Muslim, but running the pumps requires power. Of the three generators available before the war, only one remains operational, while diesel prices have soared to extremely high levels.
The parish also shelters refugees and runs a school that, come September, is expected to grow from 270 pupils before the war to around a thousand students, following the destruction or closure of other Catholic institutions in the Strip.
Romanelli also explained his decision to remain in Gaza despite the dangers and evacuation orders. «We are not heroes», he said, stressing that the choice was not politically motivated: «A shepherd must stay with his flock».
Also taking part in the discussion was Friar Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, who drew attention to the need to concretely support Christian communities and ensure they have the conditions necessary to continue living and working in the region.
Speaking from Gaza, Romanelli closed with a renewed appeal: «Peace is possible, and a just peace is necessary», calling for an end to the spiral of violence and the loss of innocent lives on both sides.
