CNN –
According to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees Catholic churches in Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sniper shot and killed two women in the Holy Family Parish in Gaza on Saturday.
The majority of Christian families in Gaza have sought refuge in the parish since the start of the war, the patriarchate said in a statement.
The two women, described as mother and daughter, were on their way to the nunnery, the patriarchate said. “One was killed while trying to get the other to safety,” it said.
Seven others were also shot and injured in the attack.
“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the statement continued.
“They were shot in cold blood on parish grounds where there are no warring parties.”
The Patriarchate said IDF tanks also attacked the convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa, which houses 54 disabled people and is part of the church compound. The building's generator, its only current source of electricity, as well as its fuel resources, solar panels and water tanks were also destroyed.
IDF rockets made the monastery “uninhabitable,” the statement said.
CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
On Friday, British MP Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said members of her family who sought refuge in the church were “beyond distressed and frightened” as conditions continued to deteriorate.
On November 15, Moran told the House of Commons that a family member who had sought refuge in the church had died. Citing reports from her family, Moran added that the church's power generators failed.
“[My family] are reporting white phosphorus and gunshots on their premises,” she said. “The garbage collector and the janitor were shot and their bodies are lying outside and are not being collected.”
CNN cannot independently verify the conditions in and around the church or the allegation of the use of incendiary munitions (which may be illegal in certain circumstances).
This is a developing story and will be updated.