Church sheltering civilians damaged in airstrike on Gaza

A Greek Orthodox church sheltering civilians in Gaza City was hit by an Israeli airstrike, killing 16 people, the Hamas-controlled Gaza government said Friday.

The Israeli military said a strike on an adjacent military target collapsed a wall of the church, which was being used by hundreds of people seeking refuge from Israeli airstrikes.

The overnight strike was part of a bombardment campaign on Gaza ahead of Israel’s expected ground operation.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchy of Jerusalem condemned the attack and said it would “not abandon its religious and humanitarian duty” to provide assistance to people in Gaza.

“The 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 thirteen days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored,” it said in a statement.

The war between Israel and Hamas began nearly two weeks ago, when Hamas killed more than 1,400 Israelis in a surprise attack on farms, villages and military outposts that largely targeted civilians. Hamas, recognized as a terrorist group by the U.S. and European Union, also took hundreds of hostages back to Gaza, including some Americans.

The Israeli military has responded with frequent airstrikes on Gaza that have killed more than 4,100 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health’s Friday update.

Updated at 9:29 a.m. ET