Genocide .live
On October 19, 2023, at around 8:30 pm, an Israeli strike hit a building adjacent to the centuries-old Greek Orthodox St. Porphyrius Church on Omar Al-Mukhtar Street, in Gaza city. The blast destroyed parts of the church complex where hundreds of displaced civilians were reportedly taking shelter.
The church:
Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius | Name (Arabic): ูููุณุฉ ุงููุฏูุณ ุจุฑููุฑููุณ ููุฑูู ุงูุฃุฑุซูุฐูุณ Located in Gaza City, in the Zaytoun (ุงูุฒูุชูู) neighborhood โ one of the oldest churches in the world, dating back to the 5th century. Affiliation: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Victims:
Amid the 23 civilians killed, there were ten children, eight women and five men across three families. Sources reported at least 18 more civilians were injured, though by some accounts there were โdozensโ of wounded civilians, and potentially hundreds more under the rubble.
The three families identified with multiple civilian casualties were the Al-Amash family, Al-Souri family and Al-Tarazi family.
The Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs in Palestine (HCC) described scenes with โentire families whose names were erased from civil records, children whose body parts were found under the rubble, and a girl no more than 4 months old who was found martyred in the arms of her grandmother who was also martyred.โ
The Holy Orthodox Foundation of Saint George, quoted by @ytirawi on Twitter/X, claimed that Israeli forces targeted โthe hall of the church with four missilesโ, while The Guardian reported that โa missile brought down part of the complexโ. Ibrahim Al-Souri, a survivor, interviewed by Al-Jazeera, told the media that โtwo raidsโ hit the building.
IDF spin:
On Twitter/X, @AvichayAdraee, the IDF Spokesperson, declared that Israeli forces intended to strike a target adjacent to the church, allegedly used as a Hamas command center. "Statement regarding the airstrike that targeted an area near the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza: Israeli Air Force warplanes struck, the day before yesterday, a command and control center belonging to a Hamas operative involved in launching rockets and mortar shells toward Israel, in the Zaytoun neighborhood. This command center was used to carry out attacks against Israel and contained infrastructure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization. Any damage resulting from the Israeli airstrike was collateral and unintended. The Israel Defense Forces can state unequivocally that the church was not the target of this strike. Hamas deliberately places its operational facilities within populated civilian areas, exploiting the residents of the Gaza Strip as human shields. In order to reduce harm to civilians, the Israel Defense Forces have requested residents of northern Gaza to evacuate southward beyond Wadi Gaza. The IDF continues to urge residents of northern Gaza to evacuate the area in accordance with military instructions."
Name of the martyrs:
Al-Amash / Al-Souri Families
Tarazi Family/
Other Individuals:
Names of some injured:
The details for each video come from social media. None of it has been verified.