Killing of Nahida and Samar Anton

Killing of Nahida and Samar Anton
Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Holy Family Church, Gaza
Killing of Nahida and Samar Anton (Israel) The attack site
Location	Gaza City, Gaza Strip
Coordinates	31°31′26.7″N 34°27′7.18″E
Date	16 December 2023 (2023-12-16)
Deaths	2
Injured	7
Perpetrators	Israel Defense Forces

On 16 December 2023, two Palestinian Christians, Nahida Anton and her daughter Samar Anton, were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers while walking inside the grounds of the Holy Family Church to go to the bathroom during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

Background

When the war broke out the Holy Family Church in Rimal became used as a refuge for many displaced individuals. The church had been used as a shelter at the time of the deaths about 300 displaced people and had been used as a shelter during prior conflicts causing them to stockpile supplies. In early October 2023, Western diplomats had told Israeli military liaisons that the church was sheltering civilians.

Reportedly IDF bombs have leveled most of the buildings around the church, and many have reported Israeli tanks and snipers in the surviving buildings overlooking the compound. The churches generators were destroyed due to the bombs, along with their solar panels, water tanks and fuel resources.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said that earlier in the morning, an Israeli airstrike hit the Missionaries of Charity convent, which housed 54 disabled people; the rocket attack caused a large explosion and displaced all of the residents.

Deaths

The Patriarchate said: “Nahida and her daughter Samar were shot and killed as they walked to the Sister’s Convent. One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety. 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. They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents.” Hamas and the Patriarchate said an Israeli sniper killed the women.

Edward Anton, the brother and son of Nahida and Samar, recounted that he believed he saw the Israeli military outside the church and shouted warnings to stay inside to those sheltering in the building. He believed his mother did not hear him and she was shot when she left to use the bathroom.

Others died after Israeli troops prevented medical aid reaching the wounded. The pair were part of a large group of civilians, including other Palestinian Christians, that had been taking refuge in the church. The sister of one of the civilians told the BBC that those in the church were scared to leave for fear of being shot at, adding that "they believed the Israelis were shooting anything that moves".

Investigation

Following an internal investigation, the IDF said that Hamas had fired an RPG from the vicinity of the church, and that IDF soldiers had fired back and hit Hamas spotters, while Catholic Church officials maintained there were no Palestinian belligerents in the area.

Reactions

The bombing of Saint Porphyrius Church on 19 October, the killing of the church organist Elham Farah in the street on 17 November 2023, together with the killing of Nahida and Samar by an Israeli sniper, the destruction of the Holy Rosary School by IDF soldiers and the serious damage caused to the house of the Missionaries of Charity, all contributed to aggravating the already strained relations between the Vatican and Israel. Pope Francis himself maintained a near daily telephone contact with the Catholic parish in Gaza. Pope Francis condemned the attack and said: “Some would say ‘It is war. It is terrorism.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism". This was the second time that the Pope had used the word “terrorism” while speaking of events in Gaza. The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the most senior Catholic figure in the United Kingdom, said: "They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents."

When the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the killing of the two women on 16 December, the Israeli ambassador to the Vatican lashed back accusing the patriarchate of engaging in blood libel. Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor in Bethlehem, told reporters that the deaths were heartbreaking and that it made people angry, referencing other attacks by the IDF on Gaza's church's such as the Church of Saint Porphyrius attack which damaged Gaza's oldest Greek Orthodox church and killed at least 18 people.

The Israeli military said it had not targeted the church and that church representatives had not mentioned an attack or civilian deaths when they spoke to the IDF on 16 December. Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, speaking on LBC, was asked about reports of snipers outside the church, and she responded by falsely claiming there are no churches in Gaza and that Christians had been driven out by Hamas. She later backtracked and confessed she had seen no reports.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the killings, saying: "An (Israeli) sniper shot two women inside a church. This has nothing to do with the fight against Hamas because the terrorists are certainly not hiding in Christian churches." British member of Parliament, Layla Moran who has family members sheltering in the churches grounds spoke out about the attack and deaths on social media stating her family members were "beyond desperate and terrified."