Scores of people have been killed and many others have been injured after Israel's airstrike targeted the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza late Thursday, according to the blockaded enclave's Interior Ministry.
The Church of St. Porphyrius, one of the oldest churches in the region, is located in Gaza's southern Zeitoun neighborhood, only 250 meters (820.21 feet) away from the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which was targeted in a ruthless airstrike on Oct. 17 that killed hundreds of people.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA said at least two women have been killed and many others were injured after the attack on the church.
The Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip said there were a significant number of civilian casualties, both fatalities and injuries, resulting from a "new massacre" committed by the Israeli military against displaced people sheltering in the church.
There have been no immediate comments from the Israeli side on the report.
The church was sheltering displaced people from the north, parishioners, as well as civilians whose homes in the Al-Ahli hospital area were destroyed following the deadly strike. There are an estimated 1,000 Christians in the neighborhood.
The church sustained severe damage, and a building near the church was destroyed, reports said.
