We Decided to Stay

A decisive and courageous position declared by Catholic and Orthodox priests and nuns in Gaza through the concise phrase "We decided to stay". These words encapsulate much and reflect the deep roots of the Palestinian people despite the ongoing calamities and devastating wars. It also highlights the genocide and direct targeting of places of worship, mosques, and churches since October 7, 2023, and the transformation of the Gaza Strip into a humanitarian disaster. An official announcement from the highest international body (the United Nations) stated that the Gaza Strip is a famine area expected to extend in the coming few weeks to include more than 750,000 citizens now threatened by starvation amidst the ongoing siege and the prevention of humanitarian relief efforts. This position, which reflects religious, moral, and national responsibility, deserves praise and appreciation not only because it comes from men of faith and church leaders but also due to the role they play on the ground on the eve of the genocide aimed at the region and throughout the years of occupation.

Approximately 635 Christians reside in Gaza who categorically refuse to be labeled as "a sect" because they are the native population and possess an authentic belonging to this land. They represent the deep-rooted essence of this ground and the unity of its national and societal fabric, reflecting its aspirations and issues in a clear rejection of the fragmentation of a single identity amid the occupation's attempts to sow discord and fragment identity by inflaming sectarianism. These citizens are Palestinians by affiliation despite all the hardships they face; the targeting of religious sites has not affected them or their decision-making, as the world witnessed with their own eyes what transpired in the Baptist Hospital due to Israeli shelling, despite attempts to cover up the massacre in the media and spread fabricated narratives. They cling to the land as part of its features and image, which pulsates with life.

The decision to stay in Gaza, made by the priests and nuns, whose number does not exceed ten, is made in solidarity with their brethren who have been left stranded. The church works to shelter and host hundreds of displaced individuals who have lost their homes, forcibly expelled due to the relentless bombardment by the occupiers. This is not merely a stance; they share beds, meals, and water—or whatever remains of all that—amidst the peaks of threats and promises made by the occupying forces to reoccupy and summon more military troops to Gaza. In this highly complex situation, the St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church complex and the Holy Family Church complex remain sanctuaries for women, the elderly, and children. Vulnerable groups and those with special needs resort there, receiving care and food that is available under the limited circumstances, as hope for further assistance dwindles.

The lack of basic life necessities does not prevent a sense of brotherhood, unity, and solidarity. The expression of the decision to stay carries connotations and meanings that embody sacrifice and the ability to endure in the face of attempts at forced eviction and calls for death and destruction. National and humanitarian steadfastness in Gaza is a true expression of the genuine relationship of the Palestinian people to their land, in harmony with facing everything happening around them. Their resilience against attempts of uprooting in the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as the pressures compelling people to leave amidst escalating daily attacks by settlers targeting Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, is indeed a unity that defines an ancient people who refuse defeat and displacement. The priests’ and nuns’ message in Gaza declares victory through remaining and existing naturally on the land. Only the rightful owners of the land understand the meaning of this message, and those deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize are these priests and nuns, not the partners in blood, murder, and genocide in the White House.