The Ongoing Gaza War Disrupts Christian Pilgrimages To The Holy Land
For nearly two years, the ongoing war in Gaza has disrupted one of the most sacred traditions for thousands of Christians worldwide — pilgrimages to the Holy land.
Israel’s war in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, has led to the near collapse of a once-thriving pilgrimage and tourism sectors within Israel and the Palestinian territories. This disruption came some three years after the same pilgrimages were affected by the pandemic.
“It was a sudden change of events. I remember early the same month, which is the first week of October, that the main square, areas like Galilee and Bethlehem were bustling with tourists. In a twinkling of an eye, the numbers started to dwindle and ultimately vanished,” said Nick Ndlovu, a travel agent in South Africa working with Israeli tour operators.
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For decades, practicing Christians from countries around the world have flown to Israel in large numbers to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and visit places from the Bible. But since the start of the Israel-Gaza after the Oct. 7 attacks, pilgrimage tours and other spiritual journeys have sharply declined or come to a complete halt in certain places.
Pilgrimages are intricate religious and social experiences, where even seemingly ordinary or peripheral aspects of a traveller’s identity can shape how they perceive and engage with places traditionally regarded as sacred.
They are also very lucrative for the tourism industry. While there is no precise figure for how much Israel earns specifically from pilgrimage tourism, estimates suggest that Christian holy sites alone generate around $3 billion each year to the Israeli economy under normal circumstances — with over half of all tourist arrivals coming from Christians — and a quarter of those visitors going to Christian holy sites.
In 2023, total tourism revenue reached nearly $6 billion, though this figure is less than the pre-COVID peak of $7.5 billion and has been severely impacted by the war in Gaza.
“I was set to travel the same month from Zimbabwe to Israel and it was a lifetime opportunity which I had long waited for. Everything was booked, and expectations were high. It all came to a dream unfulfilled,” said Tariro Chasara, a Zimbabwean affected by the ongoing situation.
Soon after the war began, flights were cancelled, tour operators closed and fear replaced faith for many prospective travelers, an even more alarming reality for those already living in the Holy Land. Travel to Israel was suspended due to safety concerns, while governments worldwide advised their citizens against visiting. Standard travel insurance packages also stopped covering trips to the region.
The majority of visitors focus their pilgrimage journeys on Jerusalem, the northern region of Galilee and Nazareth. The cities of Bethlehem and Nazareth, in particular, rely almost entirely on tourism from pilgrims. For the past two years, these cities have been crippled financially. Not only have pilgrims been affected, but residents themselves are struggling to make ends meet
Ndlovu said some of the hotels that were used with pilgrims were turned into temporary accommodation for people who have been evacuated from the areas close to the Gaza Strip and the border with Lebanon. This makes the return of pilgrimage trips not foreseeable in the near future.
In the wake of the war, the government of Israel supported pilgrimage-tour operators with some financial assistance, but it did not last.
“I refunded my money and directed it to other things. We are now praying, not only to get an opportunity to visit but also for peace within the region,” said Chasara.
Juliet Robins, who lives in the United Kingdom, said visiting Israel, even multiple times, is an experience they renews pilgrims every time.
“The places are so sacred and to me, it's not history but lived experiences as a Christian,” she said. “The suffering of Christ, the feeling of walking on the same paths in the same places Jesus walked. With the risk involved now in going there, most Christians are affected for their annual pilgrimages.”
Earlier this year, the World Council of Churches visited Israel. The group was part of a joint delegation of leaders from historic Black denominations of the National Council of Churches in the United States of America and heads of South African church denominations of the South African Council of Churches.
They issued a “Pilgrimage Statement” after the visit, saying they went there as people standing on the side of justice and equality.
“We came to visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories in the hope of meeting Israeli and Palestinian citizens. We came seeking to better understand the realities on the ground, particularly related to the Occupied Palestinian Territories [East Jerusalem, West Bank and the Gaza Strip]” the statement said.
For Eric Muzamba, who lives in Zimbabwe and has been to the Holy Land before, visiting places like Nazareth can be an emotional experience.
“When we visit some of these places as groups we sing and it's emotional,” he said. “We will no longer be tourists, but worshippers. Just walking on the path to Calvary or visiting the empty tomb of Jesus, fills pilgrims with emotions and spiritual connection.”
Calvin Manika is an award-winning international journalist based in Zimbabwe.