By Jimmy
An unknown number of people have been reportedly killed as an Israeli military strike hit a church compound in Gaza in an attempt to capture Hamas terrorists in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The Hamas-controlled interior ministry confirmed the latest strike by the Israeli military, stating that several displaced people sheltering at the worship center were affected by the Thursday attack.
The strike left a “large number of martyrs and injured” at the compound of the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City, the ministry said in a press release.
AFP quoted witnesses saying that the airstrike seemed to have been directed towards a location adjacent to the place of worship. The church had become a sanctuary for numerous Gaza inhabitants amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), when contacted, revealed to the media that their fighter jets had targeted a command and control centre responsible for launching rockets and mortars toward Israel.
“As a result of the IDF strike, a wall of a church in the area was damaged,” it said, adding, “We are aware of reports on casualties. The incident is under review.”
It was further gathered that the Israeli strike damaged the facade of the church and caused an adjacent building to collapse. Many injured people were evacuated to a hospital.
Saint Porphyrius is the oldest church still in use in Gaza and is located in the city’s historic neighborhood.
SEE: Israel-Hamas Conflict: What are motives and impact of attack?
Patriarchate Condemns War
The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has since expressed its “strongest condemnation” of the strike at its church compound.
In a statement made available to the media, the Patriarchate said: “Targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli airstrikes on residential areas over the past 13 days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored.”
It noted that the church is not far from the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, which was hit by a deadly airstrike on Tuesday.
Both Israel and Hamas have had their share of blame for the bloody carnage, but neither the provenance of the strike nor the death toll could immediately be independently verified.
