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Several family members of former U.S. Congressman Justin Amash<\/strong> were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck a church in Gaza City where they were taking shelter, Amash wrote<\/a> on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cGive rest, O Lord, to their souls, and may their memories be eternal,\u201d wrote Amash, who became the first Palestinian-American to serve in Congress when he was elected to serve Michigan\u2019s 3rd Congressional district in 2011. \u201cThe Palestinian Christian community has endured so much. Our family is hurting badly. May God watch over all Christians in Gaza\u2014and all Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering, whatever their religion or creed.\u201d<\/p>\n Amash\u2019s relatives\u2014including two younger women he identified as Viola and Yara, whose picture he posted on X\u2014were sheltering in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius, Gaza\u2019s oldest active church. According to church officials, hundreds of Palestinians were sheltering inside the church\u2019s complex when Israel hit one of its buildings Thursday, killing 17 people<\/a>, according to witnesses.<\/p>\n The oldest church in Gaza City has traditionally been a sanctuary for Christians and Muslims during Israel\u2019s wars against the Palestinians in Gaza. \u201cWe thought we would be protected by the church, but unfortunately, the brutal Israeli occupation does not differentiate,\u201d a blast survivor told<\/a> Al-Jazeera. \u201cThey have targeted churches, mosques and hospitals. There is no safe place.\u201d<\/p>\n Amash offered appreciation for the many condolence messages and drew attention to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza in a social media post on Saturday. \u201cPlease remember the thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians, in unbearable circumstances, who simply want a life of peace,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. \u201cSo many of the people suffering are just children. They don\u2019t deserve violence and death.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gazan Health Ministry reported<\/a> Sunday that since October 7, over 4,500 Palestinian people had been killed by Israeli airstrikes\u201440% of which were children. Nearly 15,000 have been wounded, over two-thirds of them children and women, the ministry said. As of Friday, at least 1.4 million people had been displaced amid the ongoing Israeli bombardment, according to the United Nations<\/a>. About half of Gaza\u2019s population is under the age of 18\u00a0<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military claimed the church was inadvertently damaged in a strike on a nearby Hamas \u201ccommand and control center.\u201d It denied deliberately targeting the church. \u201cWe are aware of reports on casualties,\u201d the IDF said<\/a> in a statement. \u201cThe incident is under review.\u201d<\/p>\n The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem called the airstrike a war crime. \u201cThe Patriarchate emphasizes that targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children, and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli airstrikes on residential areas over the past 13 days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored,\u201d it said<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n