A Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip which was sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians was hit overnight by an Israeli air strike.
Gaza's Hamas-run government said 18 Christian Palestinians were killed after the historic Church of St. Porphyrius was hit. The number of fatalities has not been confirmed by the church.
The Israeli military said a part of the church in Gaza City, the oldest active church in the enclave, was damaged in a strike on a militant command centre. It said it was reviewing the incident.
Palestinian officials said at least 500 Muslims and Christians had taken shelter in the church from Israeli bombardments.
The Orthodox Church said in a statement: “The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its strongest condemnation of the Israeli air strike that has struck its church compound in the city of Gaza."
Video from the scene at the church compound showed a wounded boy being carried from rubble in the nighttime.
A civil defence worker told the Reuters news agency that two people on upper floors had survived but those on lower floors had been killed.
Gaza's 2.3 million population comprises an estimated 1,000 Christians, most of whom are Greek Orthodox.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets had hit a nearby command and control centre that was used to carry out attacks against Israel.
“As a result of the IDF strike, a wall of a church in the area was damaged. We are aware of reports on casualties. The incident is under review," it said.
Israel has launched repeated airstrikes on densely-populated Gaza since the Hamas terror attacks killed 1,400 people in southern Israel.
Nearly 3,800 people in Gaza have since been killed by Israeli strikes and more than a million have been made homeless, according to Palestinian health officials. Egypt is later on Friday expected to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza for the first time.
Israel appears to be getting closer to a full-scale invasion of Gaza, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant telling troops near the border: “You see Gaza now from a distance, you will soon see it from inside. The command will come.”
Israeli officials separately ordered the evacuation of more than 20,000 residents from the town of Kiryat Shmona on its northern border with Lebanon after an exchange of fire with Hezbollah.
