Staff Reports
The recent bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza has reignited debates about the treatment of Christians in the region, but much of the outrage misses the mark. Critics point to this tragic incident as evidence that Christian communities are under perpetual threat, yet the underlying reality is far more complex. Christians in Gaza live under the harsh, totalitarian rule of Hamas, a regime known for persecuting anyone who does not conform to its fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. These communities are shrinking not because of actions by outside enemies, but due to years of relentless oppression from Hamas itself.
Despite the media’s rush to blame Israel for the destruction, facts emerging from the conflict indicate the church bombing was a tragic accident—stray munitions mistakenly hit the site amid the fog of war. Warfare is inevitably chaotic, and such incidents occur, unfortunately, wherever fighting rages. This was not a targeted attack meant to erase Christianity from Gaza. Rather, it was a sorrowful outcome of a brutal conflict driven by a terrorist group that thrives on destabilization and fear.
Too often, commentators use these isolated tragedies as rhetorical fodder to paint Israel as the aggressor while ignoring the daily violence perpetrated by Hamas against all religious minorities. Christians, already a marginalized and dwindling group, face constant suppression from the regime—not only for practicing their faith, but simply for daring to exist. It is this reign of terror, not occasional crossfire, that has emptied churches and driven families from their ancestral homes.
The real injustice lies in Hamas’s campaign to crush diversity within Gaza’s borders, persecuting not just Christians but any Muslim who dares to dissent. Israel, for all its flaws, is a democracy that upholds basic freedoms, offering a haven for believers of all faiths. The refusal to acknowledge this divergence is the height of moral relativism—equating a state fighting for pluralism with a regime dedicated to extremism.
As the global community reflects on the Gaza church bombing, the focus should remain on supporting religious liberty and exposing the tyrants who suppress it at every turn. Accidental tragedies should not be twisted into weapons of political blame, nor should they overshadow the brutal realities faced by those living under terrorist control. Only by confronting these truths head-on can meaningful change ever emerge in Gaza and beyond.
