19-year-old Catholic girl died while trying to flee Gaza with her mother

“They were in a car that was taking them to a specific point in the south,” Fady explained. “From there, they had to walk on foot until they reached the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Lara was walking briskly and quickly, but suddenly she tripped and collapsed on the ground. Some people tried to revive her, thinking that she had simply fainted due to to extreme heat. But the painful reality was that Lara had died.

His mother also fainted from the trauma and is now recovering. Fady noted with great regret that Lara was buried in southern Gaza, far from her church, and that her funeral has not yet taken place.

Fady blamed some Arab media outlets for ignoring the plight of Gaza’s small Christian minority amid their harsh living conditions, including killings, loss of property, displacement and forced migration. The ancient Christian community has endured continuous suffering and is on the brink of extinction due to migration, displacement and now war.