Gaza: Church building sheltering refugees hit by Israeli missile

St Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church, Nov 2022. Wiki image by Dan Palraz

This evening, one of the buildings belonging to St Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church in the centre of Gaza City collapsed as a result of Israeli missile strikes, resulting in a large numbers of injuries, including serious ones, among refugees who were taking shelter in the adjacent church.

Unlike reports of a similar attack a week ago, this one has been confirmed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

Our prayers go out for healing to all those wounded, along with our condolences to Patriarch Theophilos II and all our Greek Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ.

We condemn this unconscionable attack on a sacred compound and call upon the world community to enforce protections in Gaza for Sanctuaries of Refuge, including hospitals, schools, and houses of worship.

Latest reports say the death toll at the moment is close to 40 people.

Don Binder is Canon Pastor to the English speaking community and is based at St George's Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem