On February 4th, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed an American takeover and annexation of the Gaza Strip. This proposal calls for the expulsion of roughly two million Palestinians in Gaza, American administration of the region, the removal of debris from destroyed buildings, controlled detonation of ordinance, and possibly the introduction of new settlements and the demographic replacement of the Palestinian community.

The Gaza Strip is home to the third-oldest Greek Orthodox Church in the world, the Church of Saint Porphyrios. Surely, the expulsion of the Palestinians of Gaza includes its Greek Orthodox communities, meaning the eradication of one of the world’s oldest Christian communities on earth.

KTE condemns the notion of any international zone that involves the expulsion of Palestinian and Greek Orthodox Christians. This U.S. proposal fundamentally threatens the existence of Christianity in Gaza, which threatens the interests of Greece and Greek Orthodox Christians globally.

KTE stands with the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the St. Porphyrios Church community, and Archbishop Theodosios Hanna of Jerusalem.