Violence and coercion has resulted in up to a 90% decline in the Christian population in areas under Hamas or Palestinian Authority control, according to a new study by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA).
In 1922, Christians constituted 11% of the population. Today, in 2024, they are just 1%.
The JCFA research, led by Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch and Attorney Tirza Shorr, discovered mass emigration of Christians, particularly from historically significant cities like Bethlehem.
“Demographics don’t lie. We are witnessing a significant 80-90% decline in the Christian population in major cities,” the researchers emphasized.
The Christian population in Gaza shrank from 5,000 before Hamas took over the area to only 1,000 in October 2023, the report found.
JCFA explained that religious and legal discrimination, desecration of holy sites, and social exclusion were behind the decline in the Christian population.
The city of Bethlehem is used as an illustration of what JCFA calls “Christian demographic erasure.”
In 1950, Bethlehem and the surrounding villages were 86% Christian.
However, this has dwindled since 1994, when the PA took control of the city. The last census in 2017 showed Bethlehem was 10% Christian families, but many have left, or are leaving, due to systemic socio-economic hardships and instability, discrimination, and harassment, including of Christian clergy, by Muslim Palestinians and the Islam-dominated Palestinian Authority.
Bethlehem also serves as an example of Christians undergoing forced conversion to Islam, a phenomenon that Gaza’s Bishop Alexios, warned of in 2016. “Christians who converted to Islam did so under threats and violence,” Alexios said at the time.Â
“The mass exodus of the Christians risks undermining the survival of Christianity in its birthplace,” the report added.
The report also collected testimonies regarding violence and harassment against Christians, especially of girls, since the PA took over.Â
Muslim clans reportedly also use force to resolve disputes.
Most cases, however, go unreported due to fear of retribution and a lack of legal enforcement.Â
“The survival of Christianity in its birthplace depends on awareness and action. Silence strengthens the perpetrators and leaves the victims without international support,” Hirsch said.
“It’s unacceptable that in 2025, Christians in the Palestinian Authority fear reporting hate incidents against them for fear of arrest or worse,” the report concludes.
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