Israeli army sniper kills mother and daughter inside RCC convent in Gaza

The RCC's Holy Family Parish in Gaza. Photo: edition.cnn.com

On December 16, 2023, an Israeli army sniper shot and killed a mother and daughter on the premises of the Catholic monastery of the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, according to CNN, citing the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

According to representatives of the Catholic Church, the mother and daughter were walking towards the Holy Family female monastery when gunfire erupted. “One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,” representatives of the Catholic Church said.

Additionally, seven more people were shot and wounded while attempting to aid the two women who had been shot.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees Catholic Churches across Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, emphasizes that the monastery complex is home to a large number of Christian families from Gaza who have taken refuge there since the outbreak of the war.

“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the statement continued. “They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish, where there are no belligerents,” the statement said.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that hundreds of people had died following an Israeli strike on a Baptist hospital in Gaza.

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