Posted on 10/20/2023 3:22:55 PM PDT by Morgana
A Greek Orthodox church compound in the Gaza Strip sheltering hundreds of Palestinians of multiple faiths was reportedly damaged by a fatal Israeli airstrike on Thursday.
The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced that a building on the compound of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrios, the oldest church in Gaza, was damaged in the overnight Israeli airstrike.
"The Patriarchate emphasizes that 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 thirteen days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored," the Patriarchate of Jerusalem stressed in a statement.
Palestinian health officials claimed that at least 16 Palestinian Christians were among the 18 people killed in the blast, reports The Washington Post. At least 20 others were injured.
Approximately 500 Palestinian Christians and Muslims had reportedly been seeking refuge from airstrikes in the church.
The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) confirmed to AFP that a portion of the church had been damaged during an airstrike targeting Hamas military compounds but maintained that the church itself was not the intended target.
"As a result of the IDF strike, a wall of a church in the area was damaged. We are aware of reports on casualties. The incident is under review," the Israeli military said, adding that they "can unequivocally state that the Church was not the target of the strike."
Archbishop Alexios of Tiberias, who was at the site, said the strike "hit the offices and the entrance of the monastery," according to The Orthodox Times.
"They were bombarded with a missile and the whole building collapsed. There were Christians inside, many of whom have been injured. They have to bring bulldozers, so we can see how many people are under the rubble," the archbishop added.
Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza in response to an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel that killed more than 1,400 people — including at least 30 Americans. Israel is also said to be preparing for a potential ground invasion into Gaza.
More than 3,000 have been killed and 12,500 injured in the airstrikes, according to Hamas-run government health officials.
The Orthodox Public Affairs Committee, founded in 2020 by a former Trump White House official to "provide public advocacy for the global Orthodox Christian Church," condemned the destruction of the church and called for an end to "the senseless killing of innocent civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian."
"[We] extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the entire Greek Orthodox community affected by this tragedy," OPAC wrote in a statement.
"OPAC firmly believes in the sanctity of sacred spaces and the importance of protecting religious sites as symbols of peace, unity, and spirituality. The bombing of a place of worship, of any faith, is an affront to the values we hold dear and signifies a grave violation of human rights."
According to OPAC, the church has stood since the 12th century.
"The loss of innocent lives is an intolerable consequence of ongoing conflicts in the region," the OPAC statement concludes. "It is imperative that all parties involved recognize the significance of preserving life and prioritize peaceful dialogue to bring an end to this mayhem."
There are less than 1,000 Christians left in Gaza, a marked decline from the more than 7,000 who lived there before Hamas took over the region in 2007, according to local church officials.
The church is named for St. Porphyrios, who served as bishop of Gaza from A.D. 395 to 420. The present structure, which Crusaders built in the 1100s, was constructed on the former site of an earlier church that dates as far back as the fifth century.
St. Porphyrios also served as a place of refuge for Palestinian Muslims seeking refuge from Israeli bombardment in 2014, according to Reuters.
Just come out and say you dislike Istael. Stop couching it.
You seem strangely in favor of Iran. Why is that?
The innocent people of Gaza (if there are any) are hostages and human shields. Any harm that comes to them is the fault of Hamas.
Israel is as careful as they can be.
Just as the blood for all the folks killed in Dresden, was solely on the hands of Hitler.
Just like they bombed a hospital?
You’re ignoring the fact that Hamas cache weapons inside churches, to prevent IDF strikes.
Well, I think it helps to have common ground if you are Christian.
Nope
Sorry but your posting demonstrated a total ignorance of both military and political facts
I not sure why you have such a mindless hate for the Jews but it is really a very sad state of mind to see in someone who professes to be a follower of Christ.
Here how the game is played. The mass murdering, rapist and tortures know as Hamas hide weapons catches, in a flaget war crime, in proximity to religious’, historical and humanitarian sites
In self defense the Israeli hit those military targets and the secondary blasts from Hamas weapons do damage to the areas. The habitual shameless liars, of which you seem to be a willing tool, then run around screaming “Israeli War crimes”
No you accessories after the fact to murder, rape and torture, you are the war criminals who flagrantly violent every single rule of war then scream victim when your criminality reaps it just rewards
Absolutely false
From England to German thousands of church’s hospitals and non military targets were destroyed by bombing.
Real war is not some sort war movie. If you are incapable of understanding the vast moral gulf between the rapists, murders and tortures who started this war, and those defending against those scum, you are too morally and intellectually bankrupt to be taken seriously here
False. Hitler was a raised a Catholic. To aid his rise to power he, in typical cynical Hitler fashion, told various groups, including Church groups, what they wanted to hear.
Once in power Hitler absorbed everything, from religion to trade unions into the Nazi political machine.
Hitlers personal view was that the Judeo Christian ethics were a virus that had to be rooted out in his Nazi New World Order
To claim otherwise is to ignore all historic facts to try and use the Nazi card against people who you happen to disagree with.
Once Germany won the war, and they were no longer needed, folks still professing to being Christians were going to go to the gas chambers.
Tell me you cannot make a logical argument for your viewpoints.
That was an intellectually absurd, logically ridiculous ad hominen deflection attempt on your part
Which was a major factor in the decision to use Fat Man and Little Boy.
They sure are trying.
I feel bad for any muslims who are caught in the middle. There are people, in every walk of life everywhere, who just want to work and raise their family. Do do anything that might get you fingered would get a rubber tire with gasoline in it around your neck.
But it is war. And that makes civilians moot. All that preparation that went on, it had to be seen by some people.
Yep. I read where the Japanese civilians were told/trained to fight with their farm tools to prevent the white devils from taking over, and the numbers of projected civilian deaths was terrible.
Estimates of civilian deaths as it was were 500,000 to 1 million total. It would have been 5 to 10 million if we had invaded. (And maybe as high as 1 million of our troops!). Although the Japs killed an estimated 7.5 million Chinese civilians, so turnabout is fair play.
A very brave woman.
Looks like some of these “Christian Pundits” are saying that no matter how many Jews are slaughtered, they must be sure to not harm anyone who might be innocent - even as the innocents are being used as human shields.
In the Old Covenant days, God would be telling Israel to exterminate them all and not let a single one live...
Given Hamas’ use of mosques, schools and other such places as sites for launching rockets and storing ammo, this could have been a legitimate target. And according to the article, it apparently wasn’t the historic sanctuary that was hit, but a building on the campus.
Nonetheless, collateral damage happens in war. During WWII, Allied bombings destroyed hundreds of churches and killed tens of thousands of innocent civilians, but we had to do that to defeat the Nazis.
My response is the leader of Israel would be to reduce the entire area to rubble and push the entire mess into the sea.
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