2023-12-17 13:37:43
Smoke rises from the remains of a collapsed building in the Gaza Strip, Palestine on the 17th. Archyde.com Yonhap News
The Roman Catholic Church’s Jerusalem Patriarchate claimed that an Israeli military sniper killed an unarmed mother and daughter at a Catholic church in the Gaza Strip. Pope Francis also mentioned and criticized this incident the next day. As this incident occurred following the friendly shooting of a hostage, criticism of the Israeli military is expected to grow further. The Roman Catholic Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement on the 16th (local time), saying, “Around noon on this day, an Israeli sniper killed two Christian women inside a church in the Gaza Strip, where a Christian family was taking refuge following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.” Vatican News, the Vatican media, reported. “Nahida and her daughter Samar were shot dead while walking to the convent,” the Patriarchate said. The Patriarchate announced that, in addition to the mother and daughter, seven other people were shot and injured while trying to protect others at the church that day. “There was no warning or notification,” the Patriarchate said. “They were shot in cold blood in a parish where there were no warring parties,” he criticized the Israeli military. The place where the incident occurred is where the only Catholic church facilities in the Gaza Strip are located. There are not only churches, but also schools and convents run by the church. Vatican News reported that the Israeli military carried out the attack claiming there was a rocket launcher inside the church facility. The Patriarchate also said that a shell fired by an Israeli tank hit the convent, destroying the convent’s generator. It was revealed that the convent housed 54 disabled people and that the destroyed generator was the only device that supplied electricity to the convent. Afterwards, the convent was hit by two more rocket attacks and was no longer uninhabitable, the convent said. At the end of the Angelus prayer on the 17th, Pope Francis said, “We continue to receive very serious and painful news from the Gaza Strip. A mother and her daughter have died, and others have been injured by snipers.” He pointed out, “This happened in a place where there were no terrorists, only families, children, patients, and the disabled.” “Some people say this is terrorism and war,” the Pope said. Yes. “This is war and terrorism,” he said. “Let’s pray to the Lord for peace.” Previously, on the 15th, Israeli troops shot and killed three men in their 20s who had been taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza City, mistaking them for enemies. Moreover, the controversy is spreading following it was revealed that the deceased even waved a white flag tens of meters in front of the Israeli army, but the Israeli army opened fire. Reporter Jo Ki-won [email protected]
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