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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is denying reports of two Christian women killed in fighting in the area of the Gaza Strip's only Catholic church over the weekend.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem claimed in a press release on Saturday that an IDF sniper murdered two Christian women in the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza, where the majority of Christian families have sought refuge since Israel's war with Hamas began.
Palestinian Christians attend a mass at the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, wrote in a report later republished by the Holy See that a woman named Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar Kamal Anton “were shot while walking to the sisters' convent.”
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“One was killed trying to carry the other to safety,” said Pizzaballa, who is also a Catholic cardinal. Seven other people were shot and injured as they tried to protect others on church grounds.
ISRAEL'S CHRISTIAN POPULATION IS GROWING AS CHURCH NUMBERS IN THE REGION Fluctuate
Pizzaballa wrote that a rocket fired from an IDF tank targeted the monastery and destroyed the building's generator. Two more rockets fired from an IDF tank targeted the same monastery, he said, rendering the house uninhabitable and displacing the 54 disabled people.
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According to the IDF, reports of these incidents are consistent with the conclusion of an initial review that found that IDF soldiers targeted Hamas spies in enemy guard posts. It said this incident occurred “in the area where the two women were reportedly killed.”
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa (right) leads a mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images)
“Following reports of two women being shot in the area of the Latin Church in Shejaya, the IDF has completed an initial investigation into the incident. The check showed that on December 17, early afternoon, “Hamas terrorists fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at IDF troops from near the church,” the IDF said.
“The troops then identified three individuals nearby who were acting as scouts for Hamas, directing their attacks toward the IDF soldiers. In response, our troops fired on the reconnaissance aircraft and hits were identified.”
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The IDF said it “takes very seriously allegations of attacks on sensitive sites, particularly churches that are holy sites of the Christian faith.”
“The IDF directs its operations against the terrorist organization Hamas and not against civilians, regardless of their religious affiliation. The IDF is taking many measures to mitigate the harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
The statement concluded: “These efforts stand in contrast to Hamas, which does everything in its power to endanger civilians and exploits them and religious sites as human shields for its terrorist activities.”
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The community grounds are home to the “Missionaries of Charity,” an order of female religious founded by Mother Theresa that is dedicated to caring for the sick and disabled.
Timothy HJ Nerozzi of Fox News contributed to this report.