An MP’s relatives have been trapped alongside hundreds of other civilians in a Catholic church in Gaza City since almost the start of the conflict, and the situation has only grown more dire in recent days.
Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford and Abingdon, told the BBC that some of her Christian Palestinian extended family – a grandmother, her son, his wife and their 11-year-old twins – sought refuge inside the Holy Family Church complex after their home was bombed in the first week of the war.
With Israeli forces nearby, Moran said on X that her family has reported white phosphorus and gunfire in the compound, and on Saturday, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said two women were shot and killed while walking to a building in the complex known as the Sister’s Convent. Seven others were shot and wounded trying to protect others in the compound, the patriarchate said in a statement.
“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the patriarchate said. “They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish, where there are no belligerents.”
The generators have also stopped working, making any contact Moran has with her family very short, she said. The patriarchate said that an Israeli tank fired on part of the compound with 54 disabled people inside, causing a fire that destroyed the building’s generator – some are now no longer able to use their respirators.
“They are beyond desperate and terrified,” Moran said on X. “It’s been over 60 days now and it’s just getting worse and worse.”
Last month, another member of Moran’s family – a grandfather – died from not being able to access medical treatment, she said in the House of Commons.
She previously said that the elderly among her relatives could not leave the complex to seek a place of safety while Israel continues to conduct strikes on Hamas targets. Three people in the complex were wounded on Friday in heavy bombing of the area, which destroyed the complex’s solar panels and water tanks, the patriarchate said.
Earlier this week, Moran’s family told her that two men – a bin collector and a janitor – were shot and killed outside the church, their bodies left uncollected. Moran told the BBC that those in the church have received no explanation as to why Israeli forces are targeting their complex.
“I’m now no longer sure they are going to survive until Christmas,” Moran told the BBC.
