Gaza Herald– The Greek Orthodox Church in the Gaza Strip on Saturday mourned Maria Hafez Michel al-Najjar “Abu Daoud” and her daughter, Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud, who were killed when an Israeli strike hit a residential apartment in Gaza City, killing five Palestinians and injuring others.
The Israeli strike targeted the ground floor of the Al-Asala residential building near Haydar Roundabout in the Rimal neighborhood of western Gaza City. Five Palestinians, including four women, were killed in the attack, according to local sources.
Maria al-Najjar and her daughter Maysa were members of Gaza’s Palestinian Christian community. The strike also killed Dr. Yasmin al-Boubou and her mother, Haloum al-Boubou, as well as 21-year-old Bilal Ali Khalil Awda.
The Greek Orthodox Church expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of the mother and daughter, saying the attack came amid continued Israeli attacks on civilians across the Gaza Strip, which have affected places of worship as well as Palestinians from different religious communities.
Maria and her daughter were killed as Israeli attacks continued across several areas of the Gaza Strip, with a growing number of Palestinian civilians killed and injured.
Following the deadly attack, the Palestinian Al-Ahrar and Mujahideen movements said the targeting of the Al-Asala building demonstrated that Israeli attacks do not distinguish between Palestinians on the basis of their religious affiliation. They stressed that the victims included women and other civilians, among them members of Gaza’s Palestinian Christian community.
The killing of the mother and daughter marks another deadly attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where families continue to bear the toll of Israeli strikes on homes and residential buildings.
