How did Israel kill an elderly woman and her daughter on the grounds of Gaza’s only Catholic church? One victim desperately tried to carry the other to safety before being gunned down in latest civilian deaths

• Samar and her mother Nahida had sought refuge in Holy Family Catholic Church 

Like dozens of Christian families in Gaza, Samar and her elderly mother Nahida had sought refuge from the relentless Israeli bombardments in the territory’s only Catholic church.

Yesterday, in broad daylight, Samar and Nahida Khalil Anton had walked together across the courtyard of the Holy Family Catholic Church to use the only bathroom, thinking that they wouldn’t be a target for the Israeli troops. 

But within seconds of them reaching the courtyard, the sickening sound of screams and the crackle of a gun filled the air.

An Israeli sniper had shot dead one of the women, and as the second screamed and tried in vain to carry the body of her loved one to safety, she too was killed, it has been claimed. 

Their bloodied bodies are still strewn across the floor of the church courtyard after they were reportedly attacked by the IDF sniper, in what has been described as an act of ‘terrorism’ by Pope Francis.

There was no warning given to Samar and Nahida, who had been merely walking towards the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa within the compound, before they were shot in ‘cold blood’, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said. 

How did Israel kill an elderly woman and her daughter on the grounds of Gaza’s only Catholic church?

Yesterday, in broad daylight, Samar (right) and Nahida Khalil Anton (left) had walked together across the courtyard of the Holy Family Catholic Church to use the only bathroom, thinking that they wouldn’t be a target for the Israeli troops

‘One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety. No warning was given, no notification was provided. They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents,’ it said.

Seven more people were shot and wounded by Israeli forces as they tried to protect others inside the compound from the deadly assault.

Nahida’s heartbroken son Issa shared a picture of his mother and sister, saying his ‘heart was broken’ following their deaths. 

My beloved mother, may Allah have mercy on you, my crown and the light of my eyes,’ Issa said. ‘Mum, our hearts are broken after you. My dear sister Samar, the light of my eyes, may Allah have mercy on your soul.’ 

The IDF said the incident is still under review while insisting it ‘does not target civilians, no matter their religion’. 

But the some 300 people still trapped in the church have described how Israeli tanks and snipers have surrounded the walled compound and were shooting at anyone emerging from the buildings there. 

They say Israeli tanks have shot towards the church, missing it by mere inches and instead knocking out the building’s generator and fuel supplies – rendering it uninhabitable for the women, children and disabled people who fled there.

The Holy Family church has been a refuge for hundreds of Christians since the war broke out on October 7 following Hamas’s deadly attack on Israelis. There are also 54 disabled people seeking shelter there. 

‘The 54 disabled persons are currently displaced and without access to the respirators that some of them need to survive,’ the Patriarchate said. 

Hammam Farah, who was related to Samar and Nahida, said the two women had been walking to the Sisters’ Convent to use the only bathroom when they were killed. 

Like dozens of Christian families in Gaza, Samar (left) and her mother Nahida (right) had sought refuge from the relentless Israeli bombardments in the territory’s only Catholic church

The Holy Family church (pictured in 2021) has been a refuge for hundreds of Christians since the war broke out on October 7 following Hamas’s deadly attack on Israelis

Palestinians attend the Roman Catholic Church of Holy Family in Gaza City on Christmas Day on December 25, 2017

‘One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,’ Farah said. ‘Their bodies remain strewn across the church courtyard.’ 

Farah said his mother is still trapped inside the church and has described terrifying scenes, with scores of Israeli tanks and snipers surrounding the compound. 

He shared a message his sister had sent him after she spoke with their mother, which read: ‘They can’t move out of the church. Last night was horrible.

‘Tanks are around the church with a lot of shooting, it damaged their cars in the church parking lot. There’s no food. For the past month, they ate boiled spaghetti only. 

‘In the end of call I told her I love you so much. She stopped talking and we cried together and then I said bye.’ 

Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said her relatives are also among the hundreds trapped in the church and feared for their safety after Samar and Nahida were shot and tanks rolled in. 

‘I am desperately worried for my extended family in Gaza City,’ Moran said. ‘There are snipers at every window pointing into the church. Still shooting anyone emerging from buildings to use, for example, toilets.’   

Moran fears they will not survive before Christmas with them being just ‘days away from dying’ after the last generator pumping water to the church stopped working. 

She said Israeli snipers targeting the church are ‘making a mockery of the IDF’s claims they don’t target civilians’.

Ms Moran told ITV on Sunday that anyone moving between rooms are ‘being shot at’.

‘It’s a week to Christmas Eve, these are Christians in a church who went there to seek sanctuary,’ she said.

‘This is making a mockery of the assertion by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) that they do not target civilians.

‘They have known for two months that these are civilians. If they thought Hamas were there, they would have come earlier. There were no leaflets dropped, there was no prior warning – nothing. We are terrified for them, we don’t know if they are going to last until Christmas.’ 

Christian families have been sheltering in the complex since the war erupted, with members of Ms Moran’s extended family – a grandmother, her son, his wife and their 11-year-old twins – among the dozens taking refuge as battles rage outside.

Moran said her family have been staying on mattresses along with dozens of others in the Catholic church for more than 60 days.

A sixth member of her extended family in Gaza City – a grandfather – reportedly died last month after he was unable to reach hospital for medical treatment.

‘I’m now no longer sure they are going to survive until Christmas,’ Ms Moran, who has been in contact with her family over the weeks, told the BBC.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Sunday accused Israel of ‘terrorism’ while deploring the killing of Samar and Nahida within the Catholic Church complex. 

‘I continue to receive very grave and painful news from Gaza,’ Francis said. ‘Unarmed civilians are the objects of bombings and shootings. And this happened even inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick or disabled, nuns.’

Francis said they were killed by ‘snipers’ and also referred to the Patriarchate’s statement that a convent of nuns of the order founded by Mother Teresa was damaged by Israeli tank fire.

‘Some would say “It is war. It is terrorism.” Yes, it is war. It is terrorism,’ he said.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, it is a war crime to ‘intentionally direct attacks against protected objects, namely buildings dedicated to religion’.

Civilian buildings – like hospitals – can lose their protected status if there is evidence they are being used for military purposes.

The IDF separately acknowledged the deaths of three Israeli hostages in Gaza on Friday, expressing its ‘deep remorse over the tragic incident’ in a statement and saying it had launched an immediate investigation.

Yotam Haim, Samer Fouad Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz, were shot dead as they surrendered with makeshift white flags on Friday morning around 10am.

According to a senior official in the IDF’s southern command, the incident began after a soldier from Bislamach Brigade’s 17th Battalion identified three suspicious figures leaving a building. 

A preliminary IDF investigation revealed the men were shirtless, wielding white flags and calling out for help in Hebrew. An IDF soldier, believing it was a trap, opened fire and shouted ‘terrorists!’ to colleagues.

IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: ‘This is a tragic incident, the IDF bears responsibility. This is an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.’

Source: Read Full Article