A new fundraising campaign has been initiated in the Gaza Strip to assist approximately 275 Palestinian Christians who are currently seeking shelter in the Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius in the city center. The campaign was organized by Jonathan Kron, a theology student from New York, as part of the radio program "Sacred Places" on Bethlehem's Al-Hara Radio. All donations collected will be directly given to the community for the purchase of food and essential supplies.

According to the organizers, there were about 1,000 Christians living in Gaza at the end of 2023. Today, that number has dwindled to no more than 600, with nearly half of them finding refuge in St. Porphyrius Church. This church, founded in the early 5th century by St. Porphyrius of Gaza himself, is one of the oldest in the region. The current building dates back to the 12th century Crusader period and was constructed around the relics of the saint.

In recent weeks, Israeli authorities announced plans to send 60,000 reservists to Gaza City and issued orders for the evacuation of remaining civilians, including clergy and parishioners from the Orthodox church and the neighboring Catholic Church of the Holy Family. However, clergy from both communities, with the support of their patriarchs in Jerusalem, have stated that they will not abandon their churches.

The Christian community in Gaza, which has a history spanning over 1,500 years, is now at risk of extinction. Organizers of the fundraising campaign emphasize that assistance is needed not just for individual families but for the entire community—nearly 300 people for whom the church walls have become the last refuge amid ongoing shelling, hunger, and forced evacuations.