A Jordanian plane parachutes supplies to people trapped in a church. Credit: Jordan TV
Christians sheltering at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrios in northern Gaza received food and humanitarian aid from the Jordanian Air Force on Christmas Eve.
A military transport plane parachuted a load of food to people stranded at a church as King Abdullah II lamented the lack of joy and peace in the region this Christmas. Some 800 Christians in Gaza are believed to have taken refuge in an ancient Greek Orthodox church as Israel wages a military offensive that literally razes the Palestinian territory.
القوات المسلحة الأردنية تنفذ إنزالاً جوياً عشية عيد الميلاد لمساعدة المحاصرين داخل كنيسة القديس برفيريوس بغزة.#عاجل #التلفزيون_الأردني pic.twitter.com/rCVZUGtVzG
— Jordan TV-التلفزيون الأردني (@JrtvMedia) December 24, 2023
More than 20,000 people have died and much of the population has been forced from their homes in Israel’s war with Gaza’s Hamas rulers, which began on October 7 after militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 240 hostage in attacks in the south of Israel.
“While the whole world celebrates Christmas, joy and peace are absent among the Christian people in the Holy Land, who cannot enjoy peace in light of the brutal aggression against the people in Gaza and the restrictions on believers in Jerusalem and Bethlehem,” King Abdullah said.
“Our wishes for peace to our Christian brothers and sisters in Palestine and throughout the world,” the monarch said in a message on his official X account on Sunday evening.
“With the ongoing Israeli war darkening the spirit of Christmas, this seventh airlift from Jordan is a show of support for our Christian brothers in the Gaza Strip,” a Jordanian military spokesman said.
In October, a 1,600-year-old Greek Orthodox church housing hundreds of displaced Palestinians was hit by an Israeli airstrike. The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem reported and Palestinian health officials confirmed that 16 people were killed.
#BREAKING #Israel #Gaza Aftermath of Israeli airstrike on Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/8XXN0hDhtf
— The National Independent (@NationalIndNews) October 19, 2023
The Church of Saint Porphyry is an ancient and significant place of worship in the region. It is believed that this third oldest church in the world.
The original temple on this site dates back to 425 AD. However, the current church was built by the Crusaders around the 1150s. Historical records from the 15th century also mention its dedication to the Virgin Mary. The church has survived to this day and was restored in 1856.
Ancient 1600 year old Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrios in the Gaza Strip. Credit: Dan Palraz / CC-BY-SA-4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Although some architectural elements, such as cornices and plinths, can be traced back to the Crusader era, many other parts of the church were added in later times. Built from time-worn limestone, the church’s walls provide shelter, providing warmth in winter and coolness in summer.
Saint Porphyry is especially important to Christians because he courageously opposed the polytheistic religions that once dominated Gaza and the entire Levant.
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