The Jordanian army carried out its seventh airdrop to help those trapped inside the St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza.
A Royal Air Force of Jordan plane dropped humanitarian aid and food supplies.
القوات المسلحة الأردنية تنفذ إنزالاً جوياً عشية عيد الميلاد لمساعدة المحاصرين داخل كنيسة القديس برفيريوس بغزة.#عاجل #التلفزيون_الأردني pic.twitter.com/rCVZUGtVzG
— Jordan TV-التلفزيون الأردني (@JrtvMedia) December 24, 2023
It is estimated that around 800 civilians are in the church, mostly Christians, who are facing food shortages and a severe lack of basic necessities.
On 19 October 2023, part of the Church of Saint Porphyrius, a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City was damaged during an Israeli airstrike, killing at least 18 Palestinian civilians, where over 450 Christian and Muslim Palestinian residents had been sheltering during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.
The Israeli military admitted that the explosion resulted from one of its airstrikes, allegedly targeting a nearby Hamas rocket and mortar launch command post.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem strongly denounced the attack as a war crime and accused the Israeli military of targeting churches and civilian shelters.
READ MORE: Patriarchal Encyclical for Christmas 2023.