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| On 16 December 2023, two ], Nahida Anton and her daughter Samar Anton, were shot and killed while they were walking inside the grounds of the ] to go to the bathroom during the ]. |
On 16 December 2023, two ], Nahida Anton and her daughter Samar Anton, were shot and killed while they were walking inside the grounds of the ] to go to the bathroom during the ]. {{sfn|Vatican News|2023}}{{sfn|Palestine Chronicle|2023}} The ] said that the shots were fired by an Israeli sniper.{{sfn|Chen|2023}} The ] has repeatedly denied this.<ref>, '']'', 21 December 2023. Retrieved 22 Octobre 2024,</ref> | ||
| == Background == | == Background == | ||
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| | date = 16 December 2023 | | date = 16 December 2023 | ||
| | url =https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2023-12/in-gaza-israelis-attack-holy-family-parish-two-women-killed.html | | url =https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2023-12/in-gaza-israelis-attack-holy-family-parish-two-women-killed.html | ||
| | ref ={{harv| |
| ref ={{harv|Vatican News|2023}} | ||
| }} | |||
| *{{Cite web |title=Pope speaks out after IDF sniper kills two women inside Gaza church, per Catholic authorities | |||
| | last1=Chen |first1=Heather | |||
| | last2=El Damanhoury |first2=Kareem | |||
| | last3=Karadsheh |first3=Jomana | |||
| | last4=Ehlinger |first4=Maija | |||
| | publisher=] | |||
| | date=2023-12-17 | |||
| | url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/16/middleeast/idf-sniper-gaza-church-deaths-intl-hnk/index.html | |||
| | access-date=2023-12-18 | |||
| | ref ={{harv|Chen|2023}} | |||
| }} | |||
| *{{Cite web | title =Israeli Snipers Kill Mother, Daughter Sheltered in Holy Family Church | |||
| |website=Palestine Chronicle | |||
| | date=2023-12-16 | |||
| | url=https://www.palestinechronicle.com/israeli-snipers-kill-mother-daughter-sheltered-in-holy-family-church/ | |||
| | access-date=2023-12-16 | |||
| | ref ={{harv|Palestine Chronicle|2023}} | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| {{refend}} | {{refend}} | ||
Revision as of 15:25, 22 October 2024
2023 shooting of a Gazan mother and daughter by Israeli forces| An editor has nominated this article for deletion. You are welcome to participate in the deletion discussion, which will decide whether or not to retain it.Feel free to improve the article, but do not remove this notice before the discussion is closed. For more information, see the guide to deletion. Find sources: "Killing of Nahida and Samar Anton" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR%5B%5BWikipedia%3AArticles+for+deletion%2FKilling+of+Nahida+and+Samar+Anton%5D%5DAFD |
 | This article reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage. Please help improve this article and add independent sources. (October 2024) |
| Killing of Nahida and Samar Anton | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war | |
 Holy Family Church, Gaza | |
  Killing of Nahida and Samar Anton (Israel)The attack site | |
| Location | Gaza City, Gaza Strip |
| Coordinates | 31°31′26.7″N 34°27′7.18″E / 31.524083°N 34.4519944°E / 31.524083; 34.4519944 |
| Date | 16 December 2023 (2023-12-16) |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Injured | 7 |
On 16 December 2023, two Palestinian Christians, Nahida Anton and her daughter Samar Anton, were shot and killed while they were walking inside the grounds of the Holy Family Church to go to the bathroom during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said that the shots were fired by an Israeli sniper. The IDF has repeatedly denied this.
Background
At the outbreak of war, the Christian community in Gaza numbered 1017 members, of which 135 were Catholic. During the hostilities, the Holy Family Church in Rimal became a refuge for over 300 displaced individuals, and by the time of the killings, was sheltering over 600 Gazans. The church was well prepared to offer these services because experience of many prior conflicts had led it to stockpile supplies for such emergencies. In early October 2023, Western diplomats had informed Israeli military liaisons that the church was sheltering civilians.
IDF bombings had leveled most of the buildings in the victinity of the church. On 15 November the Liberal Democrat Layla Moran stated in the House of Commons that members of her Palestinian family, including a grandmother, a cousin, his wife and their 11-year-old twins, were sheltered in the Church: according to their accounts, the compound was being hit by gunfire and white phosphorus, one family member had died, a bin collector and janitor had been killed outside, and could not be buried. The church's generators had been destroyed due to the bombs, along with their solar panels, water tanks and fuel resources. Israeli tanks were stationed nearby, while IDF snipers had taken up positions in the apartment blocks that overlooked the compound, making movement between buildings in the limestone complex very dangerous. Moran later added that anyone approaching the church was shot on sight.
Deaths
Nahida Khalil Anton was the mother of the largest Catholic family in the Gaza Strip, with 7 children and more than 20 grandchildren. Her daughter Samar worked as a cook for the disabled children being cared for by the Teresan nuns of the Missionaries of Charity. Nahida originally hailed from a Palestinian refugee family and was born in Dbayeh, in 1953, Lebanon where a sector of the camp cares for Palestinian and Syrian Christian refugees. Her family was forced to flee to Yemen in the wake of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. She eventually managed to make her way back to the Gaza Strip, where she dedicated herself to voluntary work for the local Catholic community.Her daughter Samar was 49.
On the morning of the 16 December, according to The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, an Israeli airstrike struck the Missionaries of Charity convent, which housed 54 disabled people; the rocket attack caused a large explosion and displaced all of the residents.The IDF reported that an exchange between it and the Holy Parish authorities at that point, the latter stated that they had not suffered casualties.
At approximately noon, as Samar was assisting her mother to cross a courtyard to a toilet at the Missionaries of Charity hospice, Nahida was shot in the stomach. While Samar attempted to succour her fallen mother and carry her to safety, she in turn was shot in the head. A further seven people were shot and wounded, among them two relatives- Dr.Elias, a surgeon, and a 16 year old cousin who attempted to help the downed couple. or while trying to protect others inside the church compound. According to the Patriarchate, '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.” Both Hamas and the Patriarchate stated that an Israeli sniper had been responsible for killing the two women.
The sister of one of the civilians in the compound told the BBC that those in the church were scared to leave for fear of being shot at, adding that "they believed the Israelis were shooting anything that moves". Edward Anton, Samar's brother, recounted that he had seen the Israeli military outside the church and had shouted warnings to those sheltering in the building to stay inside. According to his account his mother had been shot while crossing over to a bathroom and had no heard his warnings. Further fatalities occurred when the Israeli troops prevented medical aid from reaching the wounded.
Investigation
Initially, the IDF stated that the incidents occurred during a blitz programmed to look for armaments in the area. Following an internal investigation, the IDF said that Hamas had fired an RPG from the vicinity of the church, and that IDF soldiers had fired back and hit Hamas spotters, while Catholic Church officials maintained there were no Palestinian belligerents in the area.
Reactions
The bombing of Saint Porphyrius Church on 19 October, the killing of the church organist Elham Farah in the street on 17 November 2023, together with the killing of Nahida and Samar by an Israeli sniper, the destruction of the Holy Rosary School by IDF soldiers and the serious damage caused to the house of the Missionaries of Charity, all contributed to aggravating the already strained relations between the Vatican and Israel. Pope Francis himself maintained a near daily telephone contact with the Catholic parish in Gaza. Pope Francis condemned the attack and said: “Some would say ‘It is war. It is terrorism.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism". This was the second time that the Pope had used the word “terrorism” while speaking of events in Gaza. The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the most senior Catholic figure in the United Kingdom, said: "They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents."
When the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the killing of the two women on 16 December, the Israeli ambassador to the Vatican lashed back accusing the patriarchate of engaging in blood libel. Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor in Bethlehem, told reporters that the deaths were heartbreaking and that it made people angry, referencing other attacks by the IDF on Gaza's church's such as the Church of Saint Porphyrius attack which damaged Gaza's oldest Greek Orthodox church and killed at least 18 people.
The Israeli military said it had not targeted the church and that church representatives had not mentioned an attack or civilian deaths when they spoke to the IDF on 16 December. Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, speaking on LBC, was asked about reports of snipers outside the church, and she responded by falsely claiming there are no churches in Gaza and that Christians had been driven out by Hamas. She later backtracked and confessed she had seen no reports.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the killings, saying: "An (Israeli) sniper shot two women inside a church. This has nothing to do with the fight against Hamas because the terrorists are certainly not hiding in Christian churches." British member of Parliament, Layla Moran who has family members sheltering in the churches grounds spoke out about the attack and deaths on social media stating her family members were "beyond desperate and terrified."
Notes
- Layla Moran stated to The Independent:“I have been told white phosphorus was thrown into the compound, that the bin collector was shot dead as he tried to come into the compound, and that a janitor trying to fix a carpet was also shot.” Bel Trew adds that 'White phosphorus is an incendiary, used to create light and smokescreens during combat. Using it isn’t illegal but deploying it deliberately against civilians or in a civilian setting violates the rules of war. Israel says it complies with international law over its use.'
Citations
- Vatican News 2023. sfn error: no target: CITEREFVatican_News2023 (help)
- Palestine Chronicle 2023. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPalestine_Chronicle2023 (help)
- Chen 2023. sfn error: no target: CITEREFChen2023 (help)
- IDF again denies killing mother and daughter at Gaza church, cites Hamas fire in area, The Times of Israel, 21 December 2023. Retrieved 22 Octobre 2024,
- ^ Gabriel Romanelli, Due donne molto amate Osservatore Romano 18 December 2023.
- ^ Robbins, Claire Porter (24 January 2024). "The Dilemma of Gaza's Christians". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- Banco, Erin (21 December 2023). "Congressional staff tried to protect Gazan churches by sending locations to Israel". Politico. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ Trew, Bel (20 December 2023). "How a sniper's bullets utterly shattered the sanctuary in Gaza's only Catholic church". The Independent. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- Trew 2019. sfn error: no target: CITEREFTrew2019 (help)
- ^ Chen, Heather; El Damanhoury, Kareem; Karadsheh, Jomana; Ehlinger, Maija (17 December 2023). "Pope speaks out after IDF sniper kills two women inside Gaza church, per Catholic authorities". CNN. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- Alessandro Ferretti, 50 pietre d'inciampo per vittime Palestinesi. Chi erano Osservatorio sulla Legalità e sui Dirtti onlus, 27 January 2024
- Marina Pupella, «Mia zia e mia cugina uccise a Gaza. Non sapevano nulla di Hamas» Avvenire 25 January 2024.
- "Gaza, 16th December 2023". Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- 'Giornata dei Missionari martiri: un cuore che arde,' Diocesi di Cuneo-Fossano 15 March 2024
- ^ Luca Miele, La guerra 'sraele attacca la parrocchia di Gaza City: uccise madre e figlia cristiane,' Avvenire 16 December 2023
- ^ Berger, Miriam; Bellware, Kim (16 December 2023). "IDF kills two women taking shelter at Gaza church, Catholic authorities say". The Washington Post. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- King, Laura (19 December 2023). "In Bethlehem, the home of Jesus' birth, a season of grieving for Palestinian Christians". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ Da Silva, Chantal (18 December 2023). "Fears mount for Gaza's tiny Christian community after mom and daughter shot dead". NBC News. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- Statement by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, 16 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- Snow, Oliver (18 December 2023). "Gazans trapped in church fear being shot, says relative". Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- "Dying, injured Palestinians besieged in Gaza church by Israeli soldiers: Analyst". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- "IDF again denies killing mother and daughter at Gaza church, cites Hamas fire in area". The Times of Israel. 21 December 2023.
- ^ Sale, Giovanni; Neuhaus, David (2024). Israele e Palestina: Un Conflitto Senza Fine? [Israel and Palestine: A Conflict Without End?] (in Italian). Il Pellegrino Edizioni. ISBN 9791281620384. OCLC 1443068285.
- ^ McDougall, A. J. (18 December 2023). "Pope Sounds Off After Israeli Sniper Kills 2 at Catholic Church in Gaza". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ McCordick, Jack (17 December 2023). ""It is Terrorism": Pope Francis Denounces Killing of Two Christian Women in Gaza". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- Birrell, Donna (17 December 2023). "Cardinal Vincent Nichols expresses horror at 'callous' killings in Gaza's Catholic Church compound". Premier Christian Radio. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- Sherwood, Harriet (18 December 2023). "Cardinal condemns 'cold–blooded' killing of two women in Gaza church". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- "IDF refutes claim it targeted sole Catholic church in Gaza after 2 women said killed". The Times of Israel. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- "Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem sparks outrage with false claim: 'No Christians in Gaza'". Roya News. 22 December 2023.
- "No Christians in Gaza, claims Jerusalem deputy mayor after Israeli army kills two women at church". LBC. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- "Jerusalem Deputy Mayor says 'there are no churches in Gaza' when asked about Israel's targeting of a church". Middle East Monitor. 19 December 2023.
- "Gaza church killings at odds with war on Hamas, Italy tells Israel". Reuters. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
Sources
- "Two women killed in Israeli attack on Holy Family parish in Gaza". Vatican News. 16 December 2023.
- Chen, Heather; El Damanhoury, Kareem; Karadsheh, Jomana; Ehlinger, Maija (17 December 2023). "Pope speaks out after IDF sniper kills two women inside Gaza church, per Catholic authorities". CNN. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- "Israeli Snipers Kill Mother, Daughter Sheltered in Holy Family Church". Palestine Chronicle. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
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