Pope Francis condemns reported Israeli sniper attack on Gaza Catholic church

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims during his Angelus address on Dec. 17, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Dec 17, 2023 / 11:20 am (CNA).

In the latest sign of escalating strain between the Holy See and Israel over the mounting civilian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war, Pope Francis after his Angelus address on Sunday sharply condemned the reported killing of two women outside a Catholic church in Gaza City, allegedly by an Israeli sniper.

“Someone says, ‘It’s terrorism, it’s war.’ Yes, it’s war, it’s terrorism. This is why Scripture states that ‘God stops wars ... breaks bows and breaks spears,’” the pope said.

In a statement Saturday, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, claimed that a sniper of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “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.” The statement said there was no warning issued by the IDF ahead of the attack, alleging that the victims “were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish, where there are no belligerents.” 

“Nahida and her daughter Samar were shot and killed as they walked to the sisters’ convent,” the statement said, using the victims’ first names. “One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety.”