By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
VATICAN CITY/JERUSALEM/GAZA (Worthy News) – Israel’s military has confirmed an “incident” at the last Catholic Church in Gaza after accusations from the Vatican that troops shot and killed two Christian women in what Pope Francis called an act of terrorism.
Additionally, several people were injured in the violence and bombings at the church over the weekend, which also displaced dozens of disabled Palestinians, church officials said.
Many Christian families in Gaza took refuge inside the church compound since Israel began bombarding targets in the Palestinian enclave after the October 7 Hamas attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said they are conducting a “thorough review” into “the incident” but added that troops tackled a Hamas-related “threat that they identified in the area of the church.”
The Israeli army “takes claims regarding harm to sensitive sites with the utmost seriousness ― especially churches ― considering that Christian communities are a minority group in the Middle East,” the IDF said.
The IDF maintained that soldiers only “target terrorists” and not civilians, despite claims by the Hamas-run health ministry of a massive civilian death toll.
However, Pope Francis condemned the attack on the compound of the Catholic parish, “where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, and nuns.”
SHOT DEAD
He said “a mother, Mrs. Nahida Khalil Anton, and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, were killed, and others were wounded by the shooters while they were going to the bathroom.”
The pope added: “Some say, ‘This is terrorism. This is war.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism,” he said. “That is why the Scripture affirms that ‘God stops wars… breaks the bow, splinters the spear’,” he added, citing Bible verse Psalm 46:10. “Let us pray to the Lord for peace.”
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said those killed were among many hiding in the Holy Family Parish in Gaza. “No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the statement said, adding that there are “no belligerents” at the compound.
Seven people were wounded in the attack as they tried to protect others in the compound, according to church officials.
During attacks the night before, “heavy bombing” resulted in three additional people wounded inside the church, as well as the compound’s solar panels and water tanks destroyed, the patriarchate said.
The reported attack, while still being investigated by Israel, has added to anxiety among Christians just days before Christmas.
Gaza, a heavily Islamic area, is home to “more than 1,000 Christian believers and of course, there are Christians in Israel, both Messianic Jews and non-Jewish background believers,” noted Open Doors, an advocacy group working on the region. “In the midst of the violence between Israel and Gaza, both Palestinian and Israeli Christians are asking their brothers and sisters around the world to pray.”
They asked prayers for Christians as well as other victims, including, but not limited to, “Israeli families who mourn for loved ones who were killed or taken hostage.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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