On Saturday, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement confirming that a member of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shot dead two Christian women, named “Nahida” and “Samar”, a mother and her daughter, inside the compound . compound of the Church of the Holy Family, in Gaza.
Most Christian families in Gaza have taken refuge at the Holy Family Church since the start of the current conflict. Seven other people were shot and injured while trying to protect others in the compound, the statement continued. “No warning was given, no notification was provided. They were shot in cold blood inside the parish, where there are no belligerents,” the statement said.
“Earlier in the morning, a rocket fired from an IDF tank targeted the convent of the Sisters of Mother Teresa (Missionaries of Charity). The convent houses more than 54 disabled people and is part of the church grounds, marked as a place of worship since the start of the war. The building’s generator (only source of electricity) and fuel resources were destroyed. The house was damaged by the explosion and the resulting massive fire. Two other rockets, fired by an IDF tank, targeted the same convent and made the house uninhabitable. The 54 disabled people are currently displaced and do not have access to the ventilators that some of them need to survive. »
“Together, in prayer with the entire Christian community,” the text continues, “we express our closeness and our condolences to the families affected by this senseless tragedy. At the same time, we can only express that we do not understand how such an attack could be carried out, especially as the entire Church prepares for Christmas.”
Furthermore, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, declared himself “heartbroken” by the news and by “the information provided by Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, on the murders committed within the walls of the ‘church of the Catholic parish of Jerusalem’. Holy Family in Gaza City. I immediately sent a message to His Eminence, expressing my horror at these events and assuring him of the prayers of the Catholics of England and Wales.
“I have been warmly welcomed twice in this parish by its inhabitants,” continued Cardinal Nichols. “They are a remarkable community of faith and true service to their neighbors. Along with the dedicated nuns, they continued to provide shelter and sustenance to many people during these weeks of war. They are a people who aspire to peace.
“The information provided by the cardinal paints a picture of apparently deliberate and callous killings of innocent civilians by IDF soldiers: an elderly woman and her daughter on the grounds of a church. This massacre must stop. This can never be justified.
“I ask all people of faith and good will to continue to pray for all parties to put an end to this conflict,” he concluded.
From Rhodes, Fr Luke Gregory OFM said he had heard about the Custos’ latest attacks in Jerusalem. “He told me about the tragic events that befell the only Catholic parish in Gaza, which lives up to its name at this time of year,” he said, “congratulating and praising the courageous priests and nuns who remained there in solidarity with their people.”
Father Grégoire said he was “traumatized” by the news. “I see no justification for such total disregard for human life on either side of this endless tragedy,” he added.
