Under Israeli Occupation, Palestine’s Christians fall below 50,000

• Palestinian Christian population across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza has fallen below 50,000 amid 'Israeli' pressures. 
• Churches and Christian communities face attacks, movement restrictions, and displacement that deepen fears of demographic collapse. 

Palestinian Christians marked Christmas across Palestine this week against a grim demographic backdrop, with fewer than 50,000 believers now living under 'Israel’s' illegal occupation and ongoing military assaults.

The Christian population in West Bank and East Jerusalem had already declined sharply over decades of 'Israeli' and economic hardship, forming roughly 1 percent of the population today after once constituting about 12 percent in the early 20th century. 

Read more: Palestinians celebrate Christmas amid 'Israeli' repression

Local church leaders and community members say the shrinking numbers reflect a broader squeeze under the Israeli occupation, where checkpoints, settlement expansion, legal discrimination, and violence compound economic destabilization, pushing many families to emigrate in search of stability.

Christmas Under Israeli Occupation

In Bethlehem, the traditional heart of Christmas in the Holy Land, crowds gathered for midnight mass and holiday festivities in Manger Square, with scout bands, hymns, and a decorated tree restored after years of scaled-back celebrations under war conditions and travel restrictions. 

“This year’s celebrations carry a message of hope and resilience for our people and a message to the world that the Palestinian people love peace and life,” Bethlehem’s mayor said at a festive procession that began in Jerusalem and wound through the city’s historic streets. 

Read more: Gazans under 'Israeli' fire fear new displacement east of the "Yellow Line"

Despite the festivities, many worshippers said their joy was tempered by continued occupation realities. “Today’s atmosphere is half joy and half sadness,” said a participant who traveled from East Jerusalem, noting the ongoing bombardment in Gaza and persistent violence in West Bank. 

Gaza’s Subdued Christmas

Further south, in Gaza, a tiny remnant Christian community observed Christmas with far more subdued services amid the rubble of war. Only around 600 Christians remain in the enclave, down sharply from around 1,700 before the 'Israeli' war on Gaza, ABC News reports. 

Many Gaza Christians lived for long periods in church compounds such as the Holy Family Church when their homes were destroyed by 'Israeli' bombardment. Those structures now serve as shelters as families struggle with displacement, destruction, and limited supplies. 

“I have lived a very difficult life in the church,” said a 67-year-old Christian woman who was forced from her Rimal neighbourhood home during the war to ABC. 

Threats to Christian Sites and Communities

Christian communities and holy sites across Palestine have been targeted by violence and harassment throughout years of war. In Gaza, attacks on churches have drawn condemnation from Christian leaders. In July 2025, the Latin Patriarchate denounced 'Israeli' bombardment of the Holy Family Church, which sheltered more than 600 displaced people and resulted in deaths and injuries. 

Settler violence and 'Israeli' military operations in West Bank and East Jerusalem have also contributed to pressure on Christian towns and institutions, compounding the sense of existential threat that community leaders warn could lead to further population decline. 

Demographic Decline

Palestinian Christians once formed significant communities in Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Jerusalem. Today, Bethlehem’s governorate contains the largest concentration of Christians, but numbers have dwindled due to economic hardship and movement restrictions that undermine everyday life and limit opportunities.

Church leaders and civil society advocates have repeatedly called attention to these trends, arguing that the occupation’s policies amount to structural discrimination and threaten the very existence of ancient Christian communities in the Holy Land.