Israel bombs a Catholic church in Palestine that is more than 1,800 years old.
It was built in 1725 before the Rothschilds invented Israel.
— Pelham (@Resist_05) May 3, 2024
Verdict: Misleading
The church in the video is a Greek Orthodox church. The grounds and church were damaged in an airstrike in October 2023, but the church was not destroyed.
Fact check:
Israel reportedly gave Hamas one week to sign a cease-fire agreement or it would invade the city of Rafah. wall street journal.
Social media users have been sharing videos of the church, saying it shows a Catholic church being bombed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). “Israel bombed an 1800+ year old Catholic church in Palestine… built 1725 years before the Rothschilds invented Israel,” one user wrote.
However, this claim is misleading. The church shown in the video is St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, not a Catholic church. This church is also not 1800 years old; the first church building was built in 425 AD, and the current church was built in the 1150s and renovated in 1856. That’s it. Wikipedia.
The St. Porphyrius compound was bombed by an Israeli Defense Forces airstrike on October 19, and the building was destroyed. Palestinian officials said 18 people were killed in the attack. NPR.
Check Your Fact previously reported on claims that the IDF destroyed churches, including the October 19 strike. An IDF spokesperson told Check Your Fact at the time that they were targeting Hamas command and control centers in the region.
“The IDF can unequivocally state that the church was not the target of the attack,” a spokesperson said at the time.church facebook page Continue Shows how the church is used. (Related: Here’s what we know about Holy Family Catholic Parishes in Israel and Gaza)
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem claimed in December 2023 that the Israeli Defense Forces killed two women and injured several others at a Catholic church in the Holy Family parish in Gaza, Check Your Facts previously reported . The Patriarchate also accused the Israel Defense Forces of attacking the monastery with rockets.
