Gaza's ancient Christian
community—dating back to the time of Christ—is now on the brink of
extinction due to decades of Israeli oppression, attacks, displacement,
and the destruction of holy sites.
By Fareed Khan
By Fareed Khan
A version of this article can be found on Substack.
As the world marked the sanctity of Christmas and Hanukkah in late
December—a season traditionally devoted to peace, reflection, and
family—the Gaza Strip faced unrelenting violence at Israeli hands into
the year’s final days. Reports from the region depicted ongoing Israeli
military operations that showed no pause, turning potential moments of
respite into further devastation.
For example, air strikes continued across Gaza during the holiday period, with attacks reported in areas like Shuja’iyya and other neighbourhoods, resulting in civilian casualties and underscoring a disregard for humanitarian norms, despite a ceasefire which Israel signed with Hamas in October. These were not isolated events as Israel’s unrelenting assault on Gaza over the holidays killed dozens, including children, in locations throughout the enclave. Such actions shattered any holiday spirit and heightened the existential threat to Gaza’s ancient Christian Palestinian community—one of the world’s oldest—now on the brink of extinction due to decades of prolonged conflict, displacement, and the destruction of holy sites.
Gaza’s Christian Palestinians, numbering fewer than 600 today, trace their roots back over 2,000 years, predating many modern religious and political boundaries. The ongoing bombardment, combined with Israel’s 16 year long siege and blockade, has drastically reduced their numbers, with churches damaged or destroyed and family lineages wiped out. Holiday periods in prior years witnessed attacks on sacred sites, including church compounds that resulted in deaths and injuries. This pattern points to Israel’s systematic erasure of cultural and religious heritage in Gaza, pushing Palestinian Christians toward oblivion amid actions widely described by international human rights organizations, genocide scholars, Jewish intellectuals, and international bodies like the United Nations and the International Court of Justice as carrying genocidal intent. The irony during the holiday season is stark. Hanukkah celebrates light triumphing over darkness and resistance to oppression, yet the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s policies contravene these principles, oppressing a vulnerable population in ways that contradict Jewish scriptural commands—such as the Torah’s 36 exhortations not to oppress the stranger and the Talmud’s teaching that destroying one life is akin to destroying an entire world.
These developments occurred against more than 800 days of genocidal violence by Israel, with the Palestinian death toll exceeding 75,000 as of mid-November, with more than 30% of the victims being children and 20% being women. In addition, the humanitarian crisis has worsened due to restrictions on aid crossing into Gaza, resulting in famine, disease, and severe winter hardships. Even as leaders worldwide shared holiday messages, Israel’s military assault continued in violation of international law, including the Genocide Convention, prompting widespread condemnation from human rights groups. This continuation of military attacks during sacred holidays exposes an unwillingness to heed universal pleas for mercy, demonstrating again Israel’s utter disregard for Palestinian lives and international law.
In Canada, diverse voices have raised alarms about these events. On December 23, 2025, advocacy groups gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in a media conference to highlight the crisis, drawing from religious, ethical, medical, Indigenous, and human rights viewpoints. Organizations like Independent Jewish Voices, Doctors for Humanity and others urged stronger action, stressing Canada’s duties under international law. Since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza Jewish Canadians opposing the violence have also voiced profound distress, contending that Israel’s conduct abuses power and contradicts core ethical tenets of Judaism, including Hanukkah’s emphasis on justice. Indigenous leaders, via the Assembly of First Nations—representing over 600 chiefs and hundreds of thousands of First Nations citizens—have also expressed solidarity with Palestinians, drawing parallels to colonial experiences of genocide against Indigenous people in Canada and have criticized Canada’s complicity in Israel’s crimes.
As 2026 approaches, Canadian leaders must respond to the millions of citizens who, over more than two years, have demanded resolute steps to address the crisis in Gaza. Polls indicate growing consensus with over half of Canadians viewing Israel’s actions as genocide, with figures around 52% in recent surveys linking aid restrictions and military operations to such crimes. Another poll showed similar concurrence near 49%, signalling increasing frustration with Ottawa’s restrained approach. Protests, petitions, and parliamentary initiatives have reinforced these calls for alignment with human rights standards.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s silence amid Israel’s holiday attacks echoes the failure of his predecessor Justin Trudeau to fully acknowledge Palestinian suffering or uphold international human rights norms, which jeopardize Canada’s international moral standing. To stand on the right side of history, the government must move beyond its mealy mouthed rhetoric, that does nothing to change the reality on the ground in Gaza, into policy and action. The fact that Canada labelled Russian violence in Ukraine as “genocide” in a unanimous April 2022 parliamentary resolution but refuses to do the same for Gaza, despite comparable atrocities by Israel, like targeting civilians and destroying infrastructure, speaks volumes about the embedded anti-Palestinian racism of Canada’s political elites. Without direct intervention by Western democracies, including Canada, which are the only ones with the power to halt Israel’s atrocities, this nation and others in the Western alliance will be remembered for abandoning the rule of law and enabling horrific crimes on par with what Nazi Germany committed during the Holocaust.
Ending this violence also requires reclaiming compassion and independence from external pressures. Zionist lobbying has long influenced Canada’s Middle East policy, with legacy Jewish organizations acting as agents of the Israeli government. In caving to their pressure Canada has abandoned its international legal obligations under the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention. But Carney and his government must resist the pressure of these lobbies to restore national autonomy and empathy. Nations like Ireland, Norway, and Spain provide a blueprint for the path Canada should follow. They have recognized Palestinian statehood without conditions (unlike Canada), denounced Israel’s military actions as genocide, and implemented measures like trade reviews and arms restrictions. Ireland has pushed for broader European Union trade sanctions and supported South Africa’s ICJ case alleging genocide under the Convention. Norway and Spain have also indicated their intention to intervene in the case, and Spain has labelled Israel’s actions as genocide halting arms exports and barring arms from other nations heading to Israel from transiting its territory.
These steps—halting preferential trade, sanctioning officials, and backing accountability—prove that ethical positions can reinforce international law without undermining security or sovereignty. In contrast, Canada’s ongoing arms transactions with Israel constitute criminal complicity in its crimes in Gaza. To stop the suffering and align with the principles of universal justice, Ottawa should implement a comprehensive two-way arms embargo, apply targeted sanctions on Israeli leaders, implement a broader trade embargo, and enforce a lasting ceasefire—standing in solidarity with Palestinians being subjected to horrors the rest of us can only imagine.
Inaction by Canada would cement this nation’s position as criminally complicit in another erasure of Indigenous peoples. Palestinians, as the historic inhabitants of the land with ancient ties to historic Palestine, endure dispossession reminiscent of Canada’s genocidal legacy with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. The residential school system, assimilation policies, and land seizures amounted to policies of genocide, the effects of which continue to be felt to this day. Supporting or ignoring similar patterns with Palestinians—mass displacement, cultural destruction, community obliteration, land theft—would make a lie of Canada’s support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, as well as its reconciliation commitments to its own Indigenous people. Indigenous voices in Canada have highlighted these connections, advocating solidarity with Palestinians to avoid repeating past wrongs. By partnering with principled nations and fulfilling its international legal obligations, Canada can safeguard its international standing and aid the cause of justice and freedom for Palestinians.
In this pivotal moment, with the holidays receding and as the New Year begins, the choice is clear. Israel’s unchecked criminal actions over decades, and especially during sacred holidays for Christians and Muslims, exposes a profound and deliberate moral failing, one that Canada can no longer excuse or ignore. Listening to Canadians, pushing back against external pressures from Zionist agents of the Israeli government, and joining global efforts to end the genocide will not only save Palestinian lives but redeem this nation’s soul. The alternative—complicity—will condemn future generations in this country to grapple with yet another enduring moral failure and damage this country’s international reputation beyond measure.
Yet, as 2026 dawns, there remains a profound reason for hope for the Palestinian people. Their extraordinary resilience—evident in the enduring spirit of families attempting to rebuild amid ruins and ongoing Israeli attacks, communities preserving ancient traditions, and a global movement growing ever stronger in solidarity—affirms that no amount of violent oppression by Israel can extinguish the quest for justice, freedom, and dignity. With increasing voices worldwide demanding accountability and change, the New Year carries the promise that sustained international pressure will finally pave the way for a just peace, allowing Palestinians to reclaim their rights, rebuild their homeland, and hopefully achieve a lasting peace.
© 2025 The View From Here. © 2025 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.
For example, air strikes continued across Gaza during the holiday period, with attacks reported in areas like Shuja’iyya and other neighbourhoods, resulting in civilian casualties and underscoring a disregard for humanitarian norms, despite a ceasefire which Israel signed with Hamas in October. These were not isolated events as Israel’s unrelenting assault on Gaza over the holidays killed dozens, including children, in locations throughout the enclave. Such actions shattered any holiday spirit and heightened the existential threat to Gaza’s ancient Christian Palestinian community—one of the world’s oldest—now on the brink of extinction due to decades of prolonged conflict, displacement, and the destruction of holy sites.
Gaza’s Christian Palestinians, numbering fewer than 600 today, trace their roots back over 2,000 years, predating many modern religious and political boundaries. The ongoing bombardment, combined with Israel’s 16 year long siege and blockade, has drastically reduced their numbers, with churches damaged or destroyed and family lineages wiped out. Holiday periods in prior years witnessed attacks on sacred sites, including church compounds that resulted in deaths and injuries. This pattern points to Israel’s systematic erasure of cultural and religious heritage in Gaza, pushing Palestinian Christians toward oblivion amid actions widely described by international human rights organizations, genocide scholars, Jewish intellectuals, and international bodies like the United Nations and the International Court of Justice as carrying genocidal intent. The irony during the holiday season is stark. Hanukkah celebrates light triumphing over darkness and resistance to oppression, yet the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s policies contravene these principles, oppressing a vulnerable population in ways that contradict Jewish scriptural commands—such as the Torah’s 36 exhortations not to oppress the stranger and the Talmud’s teaching that destroying one life is akin to destroying an entire world.
These developments occurred against more than 800 days of genocidal violence by Israel, with the Palestinian death toll exceeding 75,000 as of mid-November, with more than 30% of the victims being children and 20% being women. In addition, the humanitarian crisis has worsened due to restrictions on aid crossing into Gaza, resulting in famine, disease, and severe winter hardships. Even as leaders worldwide shared holiday messages, Israel’s military assault continued in violation of international law, including the Genocide Convention, prompting widespread condemnation from human rights groups. This continuation of military attacks during sacred holidays exposes an unwillingness to heed universal pleas for mercy, demonstrating again Israel’s utter disregard for Palestinian lives and international law.
In Canada, diverse voices have raised alarms about these events. On December 23, 2025, advocacy groups gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in a media conference to highlight the crisis, drawing from religious, ethical, medical, Indigenous, and human rights viewpoints. Organizations like Independent Jewish Voices, Doctors for Humanity and others urged stronger action, stressing Canada’s duties under international law. Since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza Jewish Canadians opposing the violence have also voiced profound distress, contending that Israel’s conduct abuses power and contradicts core ethical tenets of Judaism, including Hanukkah’s emphasis on justice. Indigenous leaders, via the Assembly of First Nations—representing over 600 chiefs and hundreds of thousands of First Nations citizens—have also expressed solidarity with Palestinians, drawing parallels to colonial experiences of genocide against Indigenous people in Canada and have criticized Canada’s complicity in Israel’s crimes.
As 2026 approaches, Canadian leaders must respond to the millions of citizens who, over more than two years, have demanded resolute steps to address the crisis in Gaza. Polls indicate growing consensus with over half of Canadians viewing Israel’s actions as genocide, with figures around 52% in recent surveys linking aid restrictions and military operations to such crimes. Another poll showed similar concurrence near 49%, signalling increasing frustration with Ottawa’s restrained approach. Protests, petitions, and parliamentary initiatives have reinforced these calls for alignment with human rights standards.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s silence amid Israel’s holiday attacks echoes the failure of his predecessor Justin Trudeau to fully acknowledge Palestinian suffering or uphold international human rights norms, which jeopardize Canada’s international moral standing. To stand on the right side of history, the government must move beyond its mealy mouthed rhetoric, that does nothing to change the reality on the ground in Gaza, into policy and action. The fact that Canada labelled Russian violence in Ukraine as “genocide” in a unanimous April 2022 parliamentary resolution but refuses to do the same for Gaza, despite comparable atrocities by Israel, like targeting civilians and destroying infrastructure, speaks volumes about the embedded anti-Palestinian racism of Canada’s political elites. Without direct intervention by Western democracies, including Canada, which are the only ones with the power to halt Israel’s atrocities, this nation and others in the Western alliance will be remembered for abandoning the rule of law and enabling horrific crimes on par with what Nazi Germany committed during the Holocaust.
Ending this violence also requires reclaiming compassion and independence from external pressures. Zionist lobbying has long influenced Canada’s Middle East policy, with legacy Jewish organizations acting as agents of the Israeli government. In caving to their pressure Canada has abandoned its international legal obligations under the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention. But Carney and his government must resist the pressure of these lobbies to restore national autonomy and empathy. Nations like Ireland, Norway, and Spain provide a blueprint for the path Canada should follow. They have recognized Palestinian statehood without conditions (unlike Canada), denounced Israel’s military actions as genocide, and implemented measures like trade reviews and arms restrictions. Ireland has pushed for broader European Union trade sanctions and supported South Africa’s ICJ case alleging genocide under the Convention. Norway and Spain have also indicated their intention to intervene in the case, and Spain has labelled Israel’s actions as genocide halting arms exports and barring arms from other nations heading to Israel from transiting its territory.
These steps—halting preferential trade, sanctioning officials, and backing accountability—prove that ethical positions can reinforce international law without undermining security or sovereignty. In contrast, Canada’s ongoing arms transactions with Israel constitute criminal complicity in its crimes in Gaza. To stop the suffering and align with the principles of universal justice, Ottawa should implement a comprehensive two-way arms embargo, apply targeted sanctions on Israeli leaders, implement a broader trade embargo, and enforce a lasting ceasefire—standing in solidarity with Palestinians being subjected to horrors the rest of us can only imagine.
Inaction by Canada would cement this nation’s position as criminally complicit in another erasure of Indigenous peoples. Palestinians, as the historic inhabitants of the land with ancient ties to historic Palestine, endure dispossession reminiscent of Canada’s genocidal legacy with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. The residential school system, assimilation policies, and land seizures amounted to policies of genocide, the effects of which continue to be felt to this day. Supporting or ignoring similar patterns with Palestinians—mass displacement, cultural destruction, community obliteration, land theft—would make a lie of Canada’s support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, as well as its reconciliation commitments to its own Indigenous people. Indigenous voices in Canada have highlighted these connections, advocating solidarity with Palestinians to avoid repeating past wrongs. By partnering with principled nations and fulfilling its international legal obligations, Canada can safeguard its international standing and aid the cause of justice and freedom for Palestinians.
In this pivotal moment, with the holidays receding and as the New Year begins, the choice is clear. Israel’s unchecked criminal actions over decades, and especially during sacred holidays for Christians and Muslims, exposes a profound and deliberate moral failing, one that Canada can no longer excuse or ignore. Listening to Canadians, pushing back against external pressures from Zionist agents of the Israeli government, and joining global efforts to end the genocide will not only save Palestinian lives but redeem this nation’s soul. The alternative—complicity—will condemn future generations in this country to grapple with yet another enduring moral failure and damage this country’s international reputation beyond measure.
Yet, as 2026 dawns, there remains a profound reason for hope for the Palestinian people. Their extraordinary resilience—evident in the enduring spirit of families attempting to rebuild amid ruins and ongoing Israeli attacks, communities preserving ancient traditions, and a global movement growing ever stronger in solidarity—affirms that no amount of violent oppression by Israel can extinguish the quest for justice, freedom, and dignity. With increasing voices worldwide demanding accountability and change, the New Year carries the promise that sustained international pressure will finally pave the way for a just peace, allowing Palestinians to reclaim their rights, rebuild their homeland, and hopefully achieve a lasting peace.
© 2025 The View From Here. © 2025 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.
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