The shooting of two Christian women – reportedly by an Israeli Defence Forces sniper – who were sheltering in Holy Family Parish in Gaza, has been condemned as a war crime by an Irish Bishop.
Pope Francis also condemned the attack on the Catholic parish where, he said, “there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, and nuns.”
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in a statement issued Saturday, said that a “sniper of the IDF murdered two Christian women”, shooting and killing a mother and daughter as they walked to a convent of Mother Teresa’s nuns within the church compound at Holy Family Church, Gaza.
“One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,” the statement said, while “seven more people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others in the church compound”.
“No warning was given, no notification was provided. They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents,” the Patriarchate said.
“An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the incident was still under review and had no immediate comment on the pope’s words”, Reuters said today.
Bishop of Elphin, Kevin Doran, said that “army snipers” don’t kill civilians by accident, adding that he viewed the Catholic Patriarchate in Jerusalem as ” a very authoritative source.”
The Catholic Patriarchate in Jerusalem is a very authoritative source. Army snipers don’t kill civilians by accident. This is a war crime; one among the many committed against civilians on both sides. @elphindiocese https://t.co/DxX4T2hlPi
— Kevin Doran (@KevinElphin) December 16, 2023
Bishop Doran was responding to a post by Archbishop Eamon Martin who shared the Patriarchate’s statement with the words: “When are these merciless attacks going to stop?”.
Crux News reported that most Christian families in Gaza (a tiny minority in the war-torn strip) have been sheltering at Holy Family Church since the start of the present conflict, with 600 people currently seeking safety.
The statement also claimed that a convent of nuns which cared for disabled people attached to the Sisters of Mother Teresa had been targeted by the Israeli forces and badly damaged.
“Earlier in the morning, a rocket fired from an IDF tank targeted the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Teresa (Missionaries of Charity). The Convent is home to over 54 disabled persons and is part of the church compound, which was signaled as a place of worship since the beginning of the war. The building’s generator (the only source of electricity) and the fuel resources were destroyed,” the statement said.
“The house was damaged by the resulting explosion and massive fire. Two more rockets, fired by an IDF tank, targeted the same Convent and rendered the home uninhabitable. The 54 disabled persons are currently displaced and without access to the respirators that some of them need to survive.” it added.
The claims have not yet been independently verified.
The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, also expressed solidarity with Patriarch of Jerusalem, describing the attacks on Holy Family Parish as an “appalling act of violence”.
Bishop Cullinan called for an immediate end to the needless bloodshed that has claimed the lives of innocent individuals and caused immense suffering to the residents of Gaza.
“The targeting of a religious institution and vulnerable members of society is a grave violation of human rights and goes against the principles of compassion and respect for all life,” he said.
The Bishop emphasised the “importance of upholding the sanctity of all human life” and urged “a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza” – and extended his “heartfelt prayers and support to the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Missionaries of Charity, and all those affected by this tragic incident”.
Referring to the killings at Holy Family Church, Pope Francis appealed today for an end to the war ravaging the Holy Land, Vatican News said.
At the Angelus prayer, the Pope said he continues to receive troubling news from Gaza, where “unarmed civilians are the targets of bombings and gunfire.”
Pope Francis condemned an attack on the compound of the Catholic parish, “where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, and nuns.”
“A mother, Mrs. Nahida Khalil Anton, and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, were killed, and others were wounded by the shooters while they were going to the bathroom,” said the Pope.
“Some say, ‘This is terrorism. This is war.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism,” he said. “That is why the Scripture affirms that ‘God stops wars… breaks the bow, splinters the spear’ (Psalm 46:10). Let us pray to the Lord for peace.”
Pope Francis also recalled people in various parts of the world who are suffering due to war.
“Let us not forget our brothers and sisters suffering from war, in Ukraine, in Palestine and Israel, and in other conflict zones,” he said. “May the approach of Christmas strengthen the commitment to open paths of peace.”
Crux News said that “despite being designated as a place of worship since the beginning of the current war, the convent’s generator, its only source of electricity, and its fuel stores were destroyed, and the house itself was damaged by the “explosion and massive fire” resulting from the rocket.
A previous bombing on the 12th century Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza, where hundreds of people are also sheltering, left 18 people dead, including one Caritas worker along with her husband and young daughter.
The current conflict between Israel and Hamas, who control Gaza, erupted following a deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel which claimed the lives of some 1,200 people with some 240 others being taken hostage.
Some 18,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the bombardment of the tiny strip, and another estimated 50,000 injured.