Relatives of a former U.S. representative were among those killed in Gaza in church hit by strike
Family members of former U.S. representative Justin Amash were among those killed Thursday when an Israeli bomb hit a historic church compound in Gaza, Amash announced Friday on X, the site formerly called Twitter.
The former Michigan congressman shared that “several of his relatives” passed away during the airstrike. They had been sheltering at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius along with other Palestinian Christians.
“The Palestinian Christian community has endured so much. Our family is hurting badly. May God watch over all Christians in Gaza — and all Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering, whatever their religion or creed,” Amash said on X.
St. Porphyrius Church bombed
Eighteen people died and at least 20 people were injured when parts of St. Porphyrius in Gaza were destroyed, one Palestinian Christian told The Washington Post.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Friday that “at least 16 Christians” were killed during the airstrike that affected the church, per The Washington Post.
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St. Porphyrius, which is the oldest active church in Gaza, has been serving as a temporary shelter for hundreds during the Israel-Hamas war.
“Rescuers were still digging through the rubble early Friday. Later in the day, services were held to mourn the dead.” The Washington Post reported.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem criticized the Israeli military for hitting the church in a statement.
“The Patriarchate emphasizes that targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens ... constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored” the statement said.
In a statement to The Washington Post, the Israel Defense Forces acknowledged that an airstrike on a Hamas command center had caused damage in the area of St. Porphyrius and that it was “reviewing the incident.”
“The I.D.F. can unequivocally state that the church was not the target of the strike,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement to The New York Times.
Christians in Palestine today
In an interview with The Washington Post, Maher Ayyad, a 72-year-old member of the St. Porphyrius community, estimated that about 1,000 Palestinian Christians remain in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Around half of them are now sheltering together at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate School in Gaza City, he said.
“We pray all the time for a cease-fire,” Ayyad told The Washington Post. “It’s too much for Gazans.”
Before the war, Gaza’s population was around 2 million, according to Reuters. Most residents identify as Muslim, while fewer than 1% identify as Christian.
“According to various estimates, 50,000 Christian Palestinians reside in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and according to media reports and religious communities, there are at most 1,000 Christians residing in Gaza,” the U.S. State Department reported in 2019.
Most of these Palestinian Christians are Greek Orthodox, the State Department said.
Church of Saint Porphyrius history
The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius is famous in the region and around the world. Its original structure was built in the 5th century, but its current buildings were constructed in the 12th century, according to The Washington Post.
“It is named for a former bishop of Gaza, Saint Porphyrius, and placed where he is believed to have died in A.D. 420,” the article said.
Today, the church compound is comprised of “a chapel, seven buildings and a courtyard,” according to The New York Times.
