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Pope Francis condemned terrorism while denouncing the killing of two Christian women who were shot “in cold blood” while taking shelter at a Catholic church in Gaza City, allegedly by a sniper in the Israeli military. Photo by Alessandro Di Meo/EPA-EFE
Dec. 17 (UPI) — Pope Francis on Sunday condemned terrorism while denouncing the killing of two Christian women who were shot “in cold blood” while taking shelter at a Catholic church in Gaza City, allegedly by a sniper in the Israeli military.
“Some are saying, ‘This is terrorism and war,'” the Pope said. “Yes, it is war. It is terrorism.”
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement Saturday, claiming that a sharpshooter in the Israel Defense Forces “murdered two Christian women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where the majority of Christian families has taken refuge since the start of the war.”
Pope Francis addressed the shootings Sunday while speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, weighing in on the incident as Israel faced growing outrage globally due to the high number of Palestinian civilian deaths amid its war with Hamas.
News of the shootings came a day after IDF soldiers accidentally shot and killed three Israeli hostages who were waving a white flag.
“I continue to receive very serious and painful news from Gaza. Unarmed civilians are subjected to bombings and shootings. And this even happened inside the parish complex of the Holy Family, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, sick and disabled people, nuns,” the Pope said following his Angelus address Sunday.
“A mother and her daughter, Mrs. Nahida Khalil Anton and daughter Samar Kamal Anton, were killed and other people injured by sharpshooters, while going to the bathroom,” the Pope continued.
The IDF did not issue any warnings ahead of opening fire, and no Hamas militants were in the parish at the time, the Patriarchate statement said.
“Nahida and her daughter Samar were shot and killed as they walked to the sisters’ convent,” the statement said, while using only the first names of the victims.
“One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,” as at least seven more people were ‘shot and wounded’ while trying to “protect others inside the church compound.”
The Israeli military later justified the attack, claiming that a rocket launcher was being stored inside the parish, but didn’t provide details about the source of the intelligence.
Palestinian news agencies said the shootings happened after a heavy Israeli barrage in the area around the Holy Family Parish, where dozens were reported dead.
Israeli tanks also targeted the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa, part of the parish compound that houses dozens of disabled people, destroying the facility’s power and utilities.
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