A final death toll is yet to be announced, but many Palestinians have been reportedly killed and wounded in a devastating Israeli attack that destroyed an ancient Greek Orthodox church in Gaza late on Thursday night.
The church of St. Porphyrius, the original structure of which believed to have been built around 425 CE, has been greatly damaged, and many casualties have been rushed to hospitals when Israeli bombs came raining down on Palestinian civilians sheltering inside.
Eyewitness and survivors told Al-Mayadeen news channel that nearly 400 people were sheltering inside, mostly Christian civilians.
Israel just bombed the 3rd oldest church in the world murdering a few more scores of Palestinians. For those of you still in denial of a genocide, we have community members with 30-40 relatives wiped out in Gaza. It’s not just Muslims, it’s everything and everyone Palestinian. pic.twitter.com/W0YEAekY7P
— Dr. Omar Suleiman (@omarsuleiman504) October 19, 2023
The attack on the church came only days after Israel targeted Palestinian civilians sheltering inside Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, killing nearly 500 and wounding over 300 more, according to estimates by the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate said that the targeting of the church “constitutes a war crime”.
It is unclear how Washington will respond to the attack on the church, considering that US President Joe Biden had initially blamed the Resistance for the attack on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital on Tuesday.
The israeli regime bombs the ancient Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, dating back to 425 AD, where 100s sought refuge pic.twitter.com/YvW1zBDhtx
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) October 19, 2023
Now, US intelligence is saying that Israel was “probably not” responsible for the devastating attack on the Christian medical center.
Since the start of the war, Israel has targeted thousands of civilian homes, mosques, schools, United Nations shelters, and also destroyed much of the impoverished Strips infrastructure.
Close to 3,900 Palestinians have been killed so far and over 13,000 have been injured since Israel launched its attacks on October 7.
Palestinian Christians Celebrate Peaceful Holiday in Gaza City (PHOTOS)
The Israeli government and military say that the strikes were a result of a surprise attack by Palestinian resistance, namely Hamas, on Southern Israel.
UN and other international organizations say that at least 70% of all Palestinian casualties are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
