Sister Nabila Mourns the Loss of her School in Gaza after Bombing

One month into the ongoing war in the Holy Land, the repercussions for Gaza's small Christian community are undeniably severe. A Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), reports that a minimum of 53 Christian families' homes has been entirely demolished, and the majority of structures owned by Christian institutions have suffered damage due to airstrikes. Of particular heartbreak is the loss of the Catholic school of the Holy Rosary Sisters, an institution that symbolized both the Christian presence in Gaza and the Latin Catholic Church's educational contributions.

Situated in the Tal Al Hawa neighbourhood, one of the areas where a significant Christian population resided, the school bore the brunt of airstrikes over the past two weeks. Sister Nabila Saleh, the principal of the school, received the disheartening news on Saturday, 4 November, that the building had been hit. Expressing her heartbreak in a text message to ACN, Sister Nabila shared details of the extensive damage, including a damaged outdoor playground, nearby infrastructure, and a collapsed building. Despite recently approving an aid project for the school, the initiative, unfortunately, cannot proceed due to the extensive destruction.

Fortunately, the sisters had evacuated the buildings shortly after the war began. Presently, the Holy Rosary Sisters, numbering two, reside in the Parish of the Holy Family in another neighbourhood of Gaza City, where they actively assist five other religious sisters and a priest in caring for 750 displaced Christians, including 100 children and 70 individuals with special needs. Sister Nabila confirmed that, thankfully, none of the students were harmed.

The mission of the Holy Rosary Sisters, as expressed by Sister Nabila, aimed to empower Christians in Gaza through education. Established in 2000 with 160 students, the school had grown to educate 1,250 students by 2023, encompassing both Christian and Muslim students, and stood as one of Gaza's largest schools providing high-quality education to impoverished communities.

Beyond the school, another Christian landmark, the Orthodox Cultural Centre, has suffered total destruction, as reported by an ACN project partner affiliated with the Latin Patriarchate. Concerns also loom over the potential damage to the St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Centre, located in the Tal Al Hawa neighbourhood.

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in a statement, revealed that 19 places of worship, including mosques and churches, were targeted in Gaza during the first three weeks of the conflict. Amidst this devastation, Sister Nabila, despite the order for Gaza civilians to evacuate southward, remains steadfast in her decision to stay with the community until the end, citing logistical challenges in moving vulnerable individuals. With the majority of remaining Christians seeking refuge in the Latin parish of the Holy Family or the Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius, critical shortages of supplies and water pose additional challenges. The source affiliated with the Latin Patriarchate notes that supplies will last just over a week, with water scarcity becoming a pressing concern due to traditional purification methods being employed. As the fighting intensifies, concerns about the lack of a humanitarian truce compound fears, preventing evacuation as residents face the grim reality of famine, water shortages, and shelter crises in various areas of the Gaza Strip.

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