Former Republican Michigan Rep. Justin Amash took to Twitter on Friday to share the news that “several” of his relatives lost their lives in Israel Defense Force (IDF) airstrike in Gaza.
In the post, Amash mourned his family members, who were killed while attempting to seek shelter amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas by taking cover at the historic Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza. The ex-politician, who left office in 2021, stated that part of the complex surrounding the ancient Christian church was destroyed by an IDF airstrike.
I was really worried about this. 😔 With great sadness, I have now confirmed that several of my relatives (including Viola and Yara pictured here) were killed at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, where they had been sheltering, when part of the complex was destroyed as… pic.twitter.com/w5k1xEeTgF
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 20, 2023
Amash included a Christmas photo of two of his late relatives, who he identified as Viola and Yara.
“Give rest, O Lord, to their souls, and may their memories be eternal,” wrote Amash, who is an Orthodox Christian. “Our family is hurting badly. May God watch over all Christians in Gaza—and all Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering, whatever their religion or creed.”
While the Israeli airstrikes did not destroy the church, which has been sheltering Gazan civilians, part of its campus was damaged “with at least one building collapsing,” according to Check Your Fact. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry put the death toll at 16, Reuters reported.
🇮🇱🇵🇸 Breaking: Israel has just bombed the oldest christian church in Palestine – the Greek-Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius.🇬🇷
40 Christians have been killed!
It was one of the oldest churches in the world where 500 where seeking shelter from the war damages in Gaza.… pic.twitter.com/PfSvI7EZLm
— Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis) October 19, 2023
The IDF has accepted responsibility for the destruction while claiming that the church was not the intended target, per Reuters. (RELATED: ‘For Your Own Safety:’ Israel Warns Gaza Residents To Evacuate Ahead Of Sweeping Ground Invasion)
Both of Amash’s parents hail from the Middle East, with his father born in Palestine and his mother in Syria, the Detroit Free Press noted. (RELATED: Israel Takes Incoming Fire From Syrian Territory, IDF Says)
Amash was the first Palestinian-American elected to Congress.