Two Palestinian Christian women, a mother and her daughter, have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City, sparking mourning among Gaza’s small Christian community.
Maysa Abu Daoud and her daughter, Mary al-Najjar, were among five Palestinians killed when an Israeli attack struck the ground floor of a building in the Remal neighbourhood early Saturday.
Their funeral was held at Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City’s Old City.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and offered condolences to the women’s families and Gaza’s Christian community.
According to Palestine’s Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs, the two women had devoted their time to assisting parishioners and displaced people sheltering at the Holy Family Church.
Mary’s 14-year-old son, Fouad al-Najjar, said the attack occurred at about 1:30am.
“My grandmother and my mother died. May God have mercy on them,” he said, appealing for an end to the war and saying Palestinians were continuing to lose loved ones every day.
Palestinian Lutheran pastor Munther Isaac also condemned the continuing violence, saying, “The genocide continues in Gaza.”
Gaza is home to fewer than 1,000 Christians, a community that was already small before the war. Several Christians have been killed in attacks on homes and churches since the conflict began in October 2023.
An attack on the Saint Porphyrius Church compound in October 2023 killed at least 18 people, while an attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church compound in July 2025 killed three people and injured several others.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health says Israeli attacks have killed at least 74,228 people, including at least 1,445 since the start of the ceasefire in October 2025.
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