The head of the Irish Catholic Church Eamon Martin, has called for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza after Israeli armed forces reportedly shot dead two women inside church grounds.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement on Saturday, which said: “A sniper of the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] murdered two Christian women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where the majority of Christian families has taken refuge since the start of the war.”
The patriarchate, which is an ecclesiastical office for the Latin Catholics in the region, said the women were mother and daughter and had been walking to a convent when shot.
Holy Family, which is the only Catholic church in the Gaza strip, includes a school which is linked to a number of neighbouring missions.
The statement said one woman was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety, adding that seven more people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others inside the church compound.
“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” continued the statement.
“They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish, where there are no belligerents.”
Responding to the statement, the Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin described the news as “heart-breaking”.
In a brief post on Twitter/X, he said: “When are these merciless attacks going to stop?
“Our prayers from Ireland go out to all those impacted, and cry out for an immediate end to the violence.”
Gaza, 16th December 2023 more heartbreaking news. When are these merciless attacks going to stop? Our prayers from Ireland go out to all those impacted, and cry out for an immediate end to the violence. https://t.co/81JHGexVhY @LPJerusalem
— Eamon Martin (@ArchbishopEamon) December 16, 2023
The IDF has yet to officially comment on the shooting.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has named the women as Samar and Nahida.
It also said IDF rockets hit a convent on Saturday, causing significant damage and displacing 54 people with disabilities, who had been living inside.
“The 54 disabled persons are currently displaced and without access to the respirators that some of them need to survive.”
