The Priest Who Stayed in Gaza: A Witness to Hope in the Rubble

The Priest Who Stayed When the World Left

In the heart of Gaza City — amid broken buildings, relentless bombardment, and the anguished cries of the displaced — a single cross still hovers in the sky.

Beneath it stands the intrepid Church of the Holy Family. And inside is a priest who refuses to depart.

When war erupted after October 7, 2023, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli could have remained safely in Jerusalem. Instead, he returned immediately to Gaza, to his parish, to his people, to the frightened families who had nowhere else to go.

Today, hundreds crowd into the small church seeking shelter from missiles, hunger, and despair. Water is scarce. Food is rationed. The future is uncertain. And yet, each and every day, Fr. Gabriel greets them with a smile, a blessing, and a word of hope.

The people call him Abouna — “our father.”

In these pages, Fr. Gabriel opens his heart and reveals what it means to shepherd souls at the convergence point of modern conflict. He shares the hidden strength of the “little-great” light that emanates through the ruins, that secret source of joy that no bomb can destroy: union with the suffering Christ.

This is not a political account of a conflict. It is something far rarer. It is the testimony of a modern-day priest who chooses service over safety, presence over self-preservation.

For eighteen months — up until Holy Saturday 2025 — Pope Francis called Fr. Gabriel daily to thank him and encourage him in his mission. Pope Leo XIV continues that contact today. Even after being injured when an explosion struck his church, Fr. Gabriel remains in place with his people.

At a moment when the Middle East stands at a historic tipping point, this memoir offers something the headlines cannot give you — the human face of faith under fire. In a world overwhelmed by noise, anger, and division, Fr. Gabriel’s voice will remind you what courage looks like, what spiritual fatherhood truly means, and why hope will always be stronger than destruction.
 

Argentinian-born Father Gabriel Romanelli is the parish priest of the Church of the Holy Family in the center of Gaza City. He entered the service of the diocese of Jerusalem over 25 years ago and is today the only priest still stationed in the Gaza Strip. In Jerusalem on the day of the Hamas attacks October 7, 2023, he immediately returned to his parish in Gaza City to be at the sides of all those — regardless of origin or religion — who needed his presence and help despite intensive bombing. 

Guillaume de Dieuleveult, is the Le Figaro correspondent based in Jerusalem.