Oldest church in Gaza, Saint Porphyrius, damaged in Israeli airstrike

The Israeli army reported conducting an airstrike on a Hamas-affiliated site in the vicinity of the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza.

The Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip had previously announced casualties and wounded due to the strike, noting that the bombing caused damage to the church walls.

The Interior Ministry, affiliated with the Hamas government, issued a statement on Thursday stating that a large number of displaced individuals seeking refuge within the church compound were killed or injured in the Israeli airstrike. 

The statement mentioned that the airstrike resulted in "a significant number of martyrs and casualties" within the church compound.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the attack in a statement issued late on Thursday. 

It stated that "targeting churches and their affiliated institutions, as well as the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children, and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli shelling of residential areas over the past thirteen days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be overlooked."

The Saint Porphyrius Church is the oldest church in the Gaza Strip and remains open. 

It is built atop the shrine of Saint Porphyrius the Monk and Bishop of Gaza from the fifth century and is located near the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, which was struck on Tuesday evening, causing, according to Hamas authorities, 471 fatalities.