Every year, right before the New Year begins, Christians around the world come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Most Christian families celebrate the holiday in any way they may choose, but this uninhibited religious freedom is something the Christians living under Hamas' Islamist rule can only dream of. Ever since Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, only 30 miles from the birthplace of Jesus, Christians have been forced to practice what little religious freedom they are allowed in the shadows of society.  Christmas in particular is a holiday of lights, colors and music that extends far beyond the walls of the church, but unfortunately in Hamas controlled Gaza, the holiday is a subdued affair with sparse attendance.

Although Christianity originated in the Middle East, the Christians still living in the region are becoming few and far between. Throughout the 20th century the number of Christians in the Middle East began took a drastic hit, accelerating as fundamental Islam grew, and forcing many Arab-Christians to seek safe haven after facing persecution at the hands of militant Islamist regimes, who treated them as second class citizens. Christians, who once made up about 20% of the Middle East, in 2019 only accounted for approximately 5%.

Ever since Hamas rose to power in 2006 the Christian population in Gaza was stripped of their religious freedom, living in fear of violent persecution. Before Hamas took over there were approximately 3,000 Christians living in Gaza, but today only a little more than 1,000 remain. In 2007, just one year after Hamas seized power, the last Christian bookstore in Gaza, which also hosts religious educational events, was firebombed twice, and its owner, a religious Christian, was kidnapped tortured and ultimately murdered by Islamic extremists. A Christian refugee, who fled Hamas controlled Gaza after being imprisoned numerous times for protesting in favor of Christian rights, described the situation in Gaza after Hamas took control, stating that the religious minority was persecuted immediately, churches were burned and many were forcibly converted to Islam.

According to a survey conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in 2020,70% of Christian Palestinians living in Gaza reported that at least once they were told by a Muslim they are ‘destined to burn in hell’. Additionally, this report found that 25% of Christians reported that they witnessed religious based violence and felt unwanted due to their religion. These statistics are a very conservative estimation of the true level of suffering faced by the Christians who live in fear under Hamas' radical Islamist rule.

Hamas not only intimidates Christian Palestinians into hiding their religion publicly, they attempt to limit the interactions between Muslims and Christian Palestinians, isolating them even further. In 2020 a leaked document from Hamas-run Ministry of Religious Affairs showed Hamas' plans not only to prevent and discourage Christmas celebrations but also telling Islamic authorities that the meetings between Christians and Muslims should be limited.

This Christmas, as you are home with your family, perhaps consider adding to your prayers those Christians who live under oppressive radical Islamist rule, and pray that they too will be able to openly go to church, and celebrate this holiday without the threat of religious persecution.

*Galit Peleg is the Ambassador of Israel to Albania