Gaza

Bombed 2023

The church was the third oldest functioning church in the world and was targeted by Israeli missiles on October 19, 2023. Hundreds of Palestinians were sheltering inside the church, and at least 18 were killed, including a three month old baby. The building was partially destroyed. I have never been to Gaza, but it is my dream to visit a free Palestine where the people, their culture, and their land are given the justice and dignity that has been denied them by the international community and the Israeli occupiers who continue their genocide against Palestinians. Michael R.

On 19 October 2023, during the current Gaza war a building in the compound of the Church of Saint Porphyrius, a Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza City was destroyed during an Israeli airstrike, killing 18 Palestinian civilians and injuring between 12 and “at least 20”. Some 450 Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip, mainly Christians, had been sheltering in the compound. The church building itself was not damaged. The war began when Hamas led a surprise attack on Israel in which 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Since the start of the war, over 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, according to Wikipedia.

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