Moran, a UK member of parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon, said 300 people, including children, were inside the Holy Family Parish church in Gaza City as Israel’s bombardment of the enclave continues into its tenth week.
“The situation has massively deteriorated within the last week. There are snipers shooting at people. What is happening is beyond terrifying,” Moran told CNN’s Isa Soares.
“These are Christians seeking sanctuary the week before Christmas, having been there for more than 60 days… who have been told by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that they need to evacuate (and) it’s unclear why or where – there are no churches outside Gaza City.”
The plight of those sheltering in the church has received growing international attention after the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem accused an Israeli military sniper of shooting dead a mother and a daughter there.
IDF tanks also targeted the convent of the Sisters of Mother Teresa, part of the church’s compound that also houses 54 disabled people, the patriarchate said. The building’s generator, fuel resources, solar panels and water tanks were also destroyed, it added.
The two women had been walking to the convent when gunfire erupted. “One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,” the patriarchate said. Seven others were also shot and wounded in the attack at the church complex, it said.
The IDF appeared to deny responsibility for the killings.
“Representatives of the church contacted the IDF regarding explosions that were heard near the church. During the dialogue between the IDF and representatives of the community, no reports of a hit on the church, nor civilians being injured or killed, were raised,” the IDF statement read. “A review of the IDF’s operational findings supports this.”
The IDF also said it “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 only targets terrorists and terror infrastructure and does not target civilians, no matter their religion… (and) takes vast measures to avoid harm to uninvolved civilians,” the statement added.
