"Hours before the sniper attack, the patriarchate said that rockets fired from an Israeli tank hit the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa, which is part of the church compound and home to 54 disabled people. The first rocket destroyed the building’s fuel sources and generator ― the convent’s only source of electricity ― and caused an explosion and massive fire that damaged the house. Two subsequent rockets on the convent rendered the home uninhabitable, according to the patriarchate
“'The 54 disabled persons are currently displaced and without access to the respirators that some of them need to survive,' the statement said. Layla Moran, a member of British Parliament, said that she has several family members sheltering inside the same church compound. On Saturday, the lawmaker said that military forces had taken over a building opposite to the church and that 'there are snipers at every window pointing to the church.' Pope Francis, who has repeatedly spoken out against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, expressed concern on Sunday about Israel’s church attacks, which he described as 'terrorism.' 'I continue to receive very grave and painful news from Gaza,' he said during his weekly blessing. 'Unarmed civilians are the objects of bombings and shootings. And this happened even inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick or disabled, nuns.'”~ Sanjana Karanth
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