Nuns to stay, serve in Gaza despite attacks, says Missionaries of Charity

A day after two nuns of the India-headquartered Missionaries of Charity were seen in a viral video in the close proximity of a deadly rocket attack in Gaza Strip, the Mother House in Kolkata reiterated its commitment to continue to serve in the conflict-hit enclave.

Three nuns of the Missionaries of Charity are in Gaza and will continue to stay there “as that is the life of the nuns of the order” a spokesperson from the Mother House in Kolkata told The Hindu on Monday (July 28, 2025).

“The sisters are on the ground in Gaza and are currently serving the old and the children. They have been there from the beginning of the conflict helping the common people who are suffering because of the war. In fact, we have been there for a long time,” the spokesperson said over phone, adding that the nuns of the order have been present in Gaza Strip for decades throughout which several Israel-Palestinian conflicts have taken place.

A view shows the damage at the Holy Family Church which was hit in an Israeli strike on Thursday, in Gaza City July 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

The remarks from the Missionaries of Charity, started by Mother Teresa, came a day after a video went viral showing two of the three nuns of the order praying inside a church as bombs fell outside shattering the calm of the Sunday congregation.

The Missionaries of Charity has served in multiple conflict zones in the world, including in Gaza where they began helping the affected people since February 26, 1973. The organisation started facing difficulties soon after the latest Israel-Palestinian conflict began on October 7, 2023.

On December 16, 2023, more than two months after the start of the military campaign by Israel against targets in Gaza, the Missionaries of Charity’s convent located on the compound of the Holy Family Parish, the only Catholic church near Gaza City, was bombed. That incident was reported by Father Gabriel Romanelli of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, pastor of the Holy Family Parish.

The video of Sunday’s attack was also shared by Father Romanelli with the international media. Father Romanelli was injured in an attack on July 17 on the Holy Family Parish that was reportedly carried out by the Israeli Defence Forces.

The Missionaries of Charity did not share the names of their nuns who are serving in Gaza “as the situation remains fragile” on the ground and the spokesperson said, “This is the life of the nuns of the Missionaries of Charity. We will continue to serve there despite the violence.”