"Our Christian hospital treats 42,000 patients each year from the Gaza Strip. The majority of our patients are Muslims," says the hospital's Christian director Suhaila Tarazi.
She is most glad to receive both financial and moral support from Norwegian Church Aid.
Feelings of isolation
"We Christian Palestinians in Gaza can sometimes feel as if the Christian churches of the West have forgotten about us. Very few of our brothers and sisters around the world appear to care whether or not we live under human or inhuman conditions in Gaza. The support we have received from NCA and its regional representative for the Middle East Liv Steinmoeggen during the Israeli blockade of Gaza has meant a great deal to us," continues Tarazi.
Fewer than 3000 Palestinian Christians live in the Gaza Strip today. When the state of Israel was established in 1948, the Christian population of Gaza numbered around 30,000.
Non-descrimination
"Palestinian Christians emigrate to the West to escape the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for employment, or to see their children grow up in safety," explains Tarazi. As a Christian in Gaza, she has never felt discrimination at the hands of the Muslim population.
"Our Muslim brothers and sisters respect our faith and we respect theirs. Dialogue and cooperation have been here for generations," says Suheila Tarazi.