Former congressman Justin Amash on Friday revealed that multiple members of his Palestinian Christian family were killed by Israel’s deadly airstrike on Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church’s compound.
“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 revealed Friday on X. “Give rest, O Lord, to their souls, and may their memories be eternal.”
“The Palestinian Christian community has endured so much,” Amash continued. “Our family is hurting badly. May God watch over all Christians in Gaza—and all Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering, whatever their religion or creed.”
Amash shared a photo of Viola and Yara celebrating Christmas.
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
My family and I would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for the many kind and gracious messages of condolence for our beloved cousins in Gaza. Please remember the thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians, in unbearable circumstances, who simply want a life of…
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 21, 2023
During his time in congress, Amash was a principled Ron Paul acolyte who was good on basically every issue (excluding immigration) and was regularly one of the only two congressmen together with Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie to vote against bipartisan screwjobs and attacks on our civil liberties.
The IDF on Friday tweeted and deleted video which confirmed that they carried out a deadly airstrike on a building directly adjacent to the church.
OSINTtechnical noted the strike appeared to have “targeted an adjacent building, but missed and hit the street adjacent to the church compound, collapsing the assembly hall.”
The IDF released footage of the strike near the Church of Saint Porphyrius.
Appears to indicate that the Israeli Air Force targeted an adjacent building, but missed and hit the street adjacent to the church compound, collapsing the assembly hall. pic.twitter.com/AwkvQzejvs
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 20, 2023
The IDF admitted to Reuters that they damaged “part” of the church and said they’re “reviewing the incident.”
At least 18 people, including multiple children and at least one baby, were reportedly killed and an unknown amount of people were buried under the rubble.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed its “strongest condemnation” of the strike in a statement on Friday.
“Targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli airstrikes on residential areas over the past 13 days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored,” the patriarchate said.
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