Fri 20 October 2023:
The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem released a statement late Thursday expressing its “strongest condemnation” of an Israeli airstrike on its church compound in the city of Gaza and stressing its commitment to its humanitarian duty to shelter civilians regardless of the Israeli “war crime.”
In the statement published on its official website, the Patriarchate said 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 statement referred to previous Israeli attacks on institutions linked to the Patriarchate in the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
🇵🇸 : Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem:
'We condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli bombardment targeting our church in #Gaza' pic.twitter.com/tbJpxVjy2K— Zaid Ahmd (@realzaidzayn) October 20, 2023
“Despite the evident targeting of the facilities and shelters of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and other churches – including the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem Hospital, other schools, and social institutions – the Patriarchate, along with the other churches, remains committed to fulfilling its religious and moral duty in providing assistance, support, and refuge to those in need amidst continuous Israeli demands to evacuate these institutions of civilians and the pressures exerted on the churches in this regard,” it added.
The Patriarchate also said “it will not abandon its religious and humanitarian duty, rooted in its Christian values, to provide all that is necessary in times of war and peace alike.”
Videos online show some of those injured in what Palestinian officials say was an Israeli strike on the St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church campus in Gaza ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/O0dWiv3ATL
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 20, 2023
At least two women were killed and scores of others injured in the Israeli attack Thursday on the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Earlier, the Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip said there were a significant number of civilian casualties, both fatalities and injuries, resulting from a “new massacre” committed by the Israeli military against displaced people sheltering in the church.
The church is not far from al-Ahli Arab hospital, which was hit by a deadly blast on Tuesday.
Contacted by AFP, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said their fighter jets had hit a command and control centre involved in launching rockets and mortars toward Israel.
“As a result of the IDF strike, a wall of a church in the area was damaged,” the IDF said, adding: “We are aware of reports on casualties. The incident is under review.”
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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