On 19 October 2023, part of the

Church of Saint Porphyrius The Church of Saint Porphyrius or St. Porphyrius Church ( el, Εκκλησία του Αγίου Πορφυρίου, ar, كنيسة القديس برفيريوس) is a Greek Orthodox Christian church in Gaza City, State of Palestine, a ...

, a

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

church in

Gaza City Gaza (;''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1998), , p. 761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory in Palestine, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza...". ar, غَزَّة ', ), also referred to as Gaza City, i ...

, in the Israeli-occupied

Palestinian territories The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...

, was damaged during an Israeli aistrike, killing at least 18 Palestinian civilians during the

2023 Israel–Hamas war } The ongoing armed conflict between Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups and Israel military forces began on 7 October 2023, 50 years after the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Hamas's coordinated surprise offensive, codenamed "Al-Aqsa Fl ...

. Over 450

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Palestinian residents of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

had been sheltering there. According to the Israeli military the explosion resulted from one of its airstrikes, which had targeted a nearby Hamas rocket and mortar launch command post.

Background

The Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius is located in the

Zaytun Quarter Al-Zaytun (also spelled Zeitoun or Harat az-Zaytoun; ar, الزيتون; Arabic translation: "the Quarter of Olive trees") is the southwestern and largest quarter of Gaza's Old City.Sharon, 2009, p 29/ref> Prior to the demolition of the Old Cit ...

of Gaza's Old City, and houses the tomb of Saint Porphyrius who was a bishop in Gaza from 395 to 420. The church was also damaged during the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

(IDF) bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip in July 2014, in which its water tanks were destroyed and a neighboring home was damaged by IDF tank shells. During the shelling in 2014, the church had been offering refuge to Gaza citizens and had held Ramadan prayers in the courtyard. According to

CBN News The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing '' Superbook'' a ...

that same year, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Alexios had said off-camera that Hamas had used Church grounds to fire rockets. Saint Porphyrius is less than from the

al-Ahli Arab hospital Al-Ahli Arab Hospital ( ar, المستشفى الأهلي العربي, lit=The Arab People's Hospital) is a hospital in Gaza City. Its headquarters are located in the Zeitoun neighborhood in the south of the city, and it is managed by the Ep ...

compound where an

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...

killed and injured hundreds of people who had fled there to escape Israeli airstrikes.

Airstrike

Palestinian officials stated that at least 500 Muslims and Christians had been sheltering in the church from IDF bombardments. A member of the community indicated that about 100 people had been sheltering in the two story building hit by the strike, with about 400 spread across the entire complex. In an initial statement, the IDF stated that Israeli fighter jets had hit a nearby command and control centre that was being used by Hamas to attack Israel. The IDF acknowledged damage to the church and reports of casualties resulting from the strike. The airstrike caused damage to the church's exterior and led to the collapse of an adjacent building belonging to the church complex. The neighboring

Katib al-Wilaya Mosque Katib al-Wilaya Mosque or Welayat Mosque ( ar, جامع الولايات) is a small historic mosque located along Omar Mukhtar Street in Gaza City in the Zaytun Quarter of the Old City. The mosque was built by the Burji Mamluks in 1432, however ...

also sustained damage as a result of the airstrike. Video footage from the church after the airstrike was published and appeared to show a young wounded boy being carried from the rubble. Another video published shows people searching through the rubble of the building.

Casualties

At least 18 Palestinian civilians were killed in the airstrike. A civil defense worker reported that those on the lower floors had been killed, while most of the survivors had been on the upper floors. Several injured Palestinians were transported to the hospital. Among those killed was photographer and archivist Marwan Tarazi, custodian of Kegham Djeghalian's 20th-century photography studio archive.

Reactions

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem strongly denounced the attack as a war crime and accused the Israeli military of targeting churches and civilian shelters.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

called on the attack to be investigated as a possible war crime. Former U.S. Congressman Justin Amash announced that several of his relatives were killed in the airstrike.

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

mentioned the strike in a call for an end to the fighting, humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza, and the release of the hostages held by Hamas.

References

{{coord, 31.5033, 34.4621, region:PS_type:landmark, display=title 2023 in the Gaza Strip Airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war October 2023 events in Asia Church bombings Attacks on churches in the State of Palestine Gaza City in the Israel–Hamas war 2023 in Christianity 21st-century Eastern Orthodoxy 2023 building bombings Building bombings in the Gaza Strip Greek Orthodoxy in the State of Palestine

Background

Airstrike

Casualties

Reactions

See also

References