A historic Greek Orthodox church in Gaza was struck in a blast on Thursday evening while sheltering hundreds of Palestinian refugees.
As a result of the blast, a building, which was housing dozens of people, near the St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church collapsed, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a wall of the church had been damaged as a result of the blast.
“The incident is under review,” the IDF reportedly told the outlet.
Kassy Dillon, a videojournalist with Fox News and founder of the Lone Conservative, wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the IDF had issued a statement regarding the church in Gaza.
“Earlier today, IDF fighter jets struck the command and control center belonging to a Hamas terrorist, involved in the launching of rockets and mortars toward Israel,” Dillon wrote. “The command and control center was used to carry out attacks against Israel, and contained terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.”
IDF added in its statement that “as a result of the IDF strike, a wall of a church in the area was damaged,” adding that it was “aware of reports on casualties.”
“Hamas intentionally embeds its assets in civilian areas and uses the residents of the Gaza Strip as human shields,” the IDF statement said. “In order to minimize civilian harm, the IDF sent a request to the residents of the northern area of the Gaza Strip to evacuate southward of Wadi Gaza.”
Statement from IDF regarding the church in Gaza. A Hamas command and control center was struck in the area of the church. A wall of the church was damaged.
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyDillon) October 20, 2023
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Earlier today, IDF fighter jets struck the command and control center belonging to a Hamas terrorist, involved…
The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a press release condemning the Israeli airstrike that struck the church.
The Patriarchate emphasized in its press release that the “targeting” of “churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide” for innocent civilians such as women and children, “constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored.”
The blast at the historic church comes after Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and leaving more than 250 people who had been attending a music festival near the Gaza border dead.
Since Hamas’ attack, more than 1,400 people in Israel have been left dead, almost all from the Oct. 7 attacks, including 32 Americans. Hamas terrorists beheaded babies, “butchered” parents who had been trying to protect and save their children, raped women and murdered entire families.
The IDF says it has contacted the families of 203 people and informed them that their loved ones are among the people who have been taken as hostages by Hamas, according to The New York Times.
IJR reached out to the IDF for a statement but did not receive a response by the time of publication.