[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

re: Greek Orthodox Church

Let's come back in a week or two and see what they say.

Yeah, no denying that is a crater.

vs this one ...

re: Greek Orthodox Church bombing.

IDF Confirms It Damaged a Church in a Strike on a Hamas Command Center - Alex Demas - The Dispatch

The Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr, to which the Gazan church belongs, confirmed the report, stating that bombs hit two church walls and that an estimated 150 to 200 people were killed. The order later revised its death toll, stating on Friday that approximately 20 to 25 people had been confirmed dead, some of whom have been named.

Former Rep. Justin Amash—a Republican-turned-Libertarian from Michigan who is of Palestinian descent—tweeted on Friday that several of his relatives were killed during the strike, including his infant second cousin, and later posted a video of the damage sustained at the church.

In the video, the church sanctuary itself is shown to have been spared by the blast. However, the adjacent church annex collapsed, killing a number of people sheltering inside.

Amash's video.

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

The IDF official response

Unlike the recent explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, for which Israeli officials denied responsibility, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that they had inadvertently damaged the Church of Saint Porphyrius in a strike. “Earlier tonight (October 20th), IDF fighter jets targeted the command and control center belonging to a Hamas terrorist, involved in the launching of rockets and mortars toward Israel. The command and control center was used to carry out attacks against Israel, and contained infrastructure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization,” an IDF spokesperson told The Dispatch Fact Check. “As a result of the IDF strike, a wall of a Church in the area of the center was damaged. We are aware of reports on casualties. The incident is under review.”