| Killing of Nahida and Samar Anton | |
| Location: | Gaza City, Gaza Strip |
| Partof: | the 2023 Israel–Hamas war |
| Coordinates: | 31.5241°N 34.452°W |
| Fatalities: | 2 |
| Injuries: | 7 |
| Perpetrators: | Israel Defense Forces[1] |
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. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem 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.”[2] [3] [4] [5] Hamas and the Patriarchate said an Israeli sniper killed the women.[6] [7]
Others died after Israeli troops prevented medical aid reaching the wounded.[8] 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".[9] 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.[10]
The Patriarchate 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.[11] [12]
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.[13] Following an 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,[14] while Catholic Church officials maintained there were no Palestinian belligerants in the area.
Pope Francis condemned the attack and said: “Some would say ‘It is war. It is terrorism.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism".[15] [16] 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."[17] [18]
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[19] there are no churches in Gaza and that Christians had been driven out by Hamas.[20] She later backtracked and confessed she had seen no reports.[21]
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."[22]