Many Christians are leaving the Holy Land because of the economic impact of the war between Israel and Hamas, according to a pastor in Bethlehem.

Fadi Al Zoughbi who leads the House of Bread church has told Premier 99 per cent of hotels and souvenir shops have closed and many people are finding it impossible to survive financially.

It comes as at least 50 people are reported to have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza this week.

Pastor Fadi says Christians now make up less than one per cent of the population in Bethlehem and across the country:

"When we say this we include all the denominations, so I can quote from First Corinthians, where the Apostle Paul says we face challenges and we 'preach Christ crucified to the Jew is a stumbling block and to the Gentile foolishness, but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.'

"So Christians being just one per cent of the population, we face so many challenges, yet we endeavour always to live in peace with our neighbours and with those who are different from us. We continue to show the love of God in the midst of this difficult situation."

Pastor Fadi says that in Bethlehem nearly all the hotels and souvenir shops have closed because of a lack of pilgrims and tourists after the October 7 attacks in 2023:

"It has been very difficult since the war. People relied on prayer for God's provision for them. Many people live in a very difficult situation. Many people live in rented homes and it has been difficult to afford rent or get food on the table for their families. So as a Church ministry, we continue to pray with the people, and whenever God provides us, we bless the needy with food baskets and what's needed, especially in this harsh winter season."

Speaking to Premier about the challenges of ministry at this time Pastor Fadi said many people had lost hope "because of the difficulty of living in the shadow of war. Many people have lost security and a sense of living in peace. In addition to the very high unemployment rate, many people have already left in this war season. Many Christian families have already left to go to other countries to find security, peace, employment, and even nowadays, many people are seeking refuge, to go to other countries, to go to other Western countries, to find peace and prosperity to build their families, to live in security and peace as a result of this devastating war."

Pastor Fadi who has a wife and two children, says he stays in Bethlehem because he and his family have been called by God:

"God has given us a calling to stay and strengthen those who have remained and encourage them that God loves them. So we just continue to pray for a miracle of peace, and a miracle of ceasefire, and that this conflict will end and that life will come back to normal. It has not been easy for children, because children have been exposed to the phobia of war. They have been affected to the phobia of war, and we have been dealing with children to help them understand that God loves them, God wants to protect them, and God wants to bless them with peace."

As a fresh round of airstrikes hit Gaza this week, Pastor Fadi said he and his family were awakened by the sound of sirens at four o'clock in the morning, but their faith gives them strength:

"It's not easy to hear the sirens in the middle of the night. It's not easy to hear the rockets in the middle of the night. Our hope is in God, and we continue to pray for protection and peace."

In December 2023, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of the Israeli Government found that there were around 187,900 Christians residing in Israel, which represented 1.9 per cent of the population.