Dr. Ramzi Khouri, Member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, expressed his deep sorrow over the killing of five Palestinians in an Israeli bombardment of Gaza City, including two Christian women, Maysa Khader Abu Daoud and her daughter, Mary Hafez Abu Daoud.
Maysa and her daughter Mary had devoted their time to serving parishioners and displaced people sheltering at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, providing support and assistance amid the devastating humanitarian conditions facing the Gaza Strip.
Khouri stressed that the killing of Maysa and her daughter Mary is a painful loss for their families, the Church, and the parish community, and adds to the growing number of martyrs among the Palestinian people in Gaza, who continue to endure death, destruction, and suffering on a daily basis.
He reaffirmed that Gaza’s Christian community has always been an integral part of the Palestinian people and remains so today. Despite the most devastating circumstances, Palestinian Christians in Gaza continue to hold fast to their land, their faith, and their presence.
Khouri extended his deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to the Abu Daoud and Ayyad families, their relatives and in-laws, and to the Christian community in Gaza. He prayed that the Lord may receive Maysa and Mary into His Kingdom and grant their families and loved ones comfort and the hope of the Resurrection and eternal life.
