Among the dead at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, the world's third-oldest church, are multiple family members of former congressman Justin Amash, who spoke out on X (formerly Twitter) about the tragedy.
"With great sadness, I have now confirmed that several of my relatives (including Viola and Yara pictured here) were killed at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, where they had been sheltering, when part of the complex was destroyed as the result of an Israeli airstrike," Amash claims – see the tweet below.
"Give rest, O Lord, to their souls, and may their memories be eternal.
I was really worried about this. ? With great sadness, I have now confirmed that several of my relatives (including Viola and Yara pictured here) were killed at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, where they had been sheltering, when part of the complex was destroyed as… pic.twitter.com/w5k1xEeTgF
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 20, 2023
According to Amash, the Christian community in Gaza "has endured so much," and all of his family "is hurting badly" because of the horrors taking place there.
"May God watch over all Christians in Gaza – and all Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering, whatever their religion or creed."
(Related: Check out our earlier report about the carnage that occurred at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza.)
So many of the people suffering in this war "are just children," Amash says
After receiving a deluge of condolences and support, Amash thanked the public for all the kind messages, encouraging people to further "remember the thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians, in unbearable circumstances, who simply want a life of peace."
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"So many of the people suffering are just children," he says. "They don't deserve violence and death."
Amash also shared video footage – see below – sent to Amash by one of his relatives showing the destruction that occurred at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church. It shows that the church's sanctuary is still standing, but not the annex, which included offices and meeting spaces for the local Christian community.
In this video, provided to me by a relative on site, you can see the destruction at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza. The ancient sanctuary remains standing, but the church annex, which includes offices and meeting spaces for the Christian community, collapsed from an… pic.twitter.com/jJfRD29uJK
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 23, 2023
All of that rubble occurred at the hands of Israel with one of its many airstrikes on Gaza, Amash further pointed out – and remember: Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church is located in central Gaza, where many from northern Gaza had traveled in a southerly direction at the order of Israel.
In other words, Israel told residents of northern Gaza to flee south for their safety, only to bomb one of the refuges, in this case a church, where some of these refugees were huddling, believing themselves to be safe from Israeli gunfire.
If you are familiar with Amash's past political career, you will remember that he was a principled Ron Paul acolyte who remains a staunch supporter of the U.S. Constitution.
Amash is one of just two congressmen who, together with Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, another Republican, voted against numerous "bipartisan screwjobs," as well as other "attacks on our civil liberties," to quote one independent media source.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), by the way, tweeted, then deleted a message indicating that Israel is responsible for the airstrike on the church, though Israel now denies all involvement and claims it was a "failed" attempt by Hamas to attack Israel.
The latest news coverage about the Israel-Hamas war can be found at WWIII.news.
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