GAZA CITY (TND) — The Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City was not destroyed by Israeli airstrikes Monday despite claims to the contrary circulating on social media.
The Greek Orthodox church is believed to have been dedicated in the 12th century and is one of the oldest churches in the world. A social media post by self-described investigative journalist Sulaiman Ahmed Monday claimed the building had been destroyed by Israeli bombs.
The post on X, the platform formerly know on Twitter, received more than 1 million views within three hours of being posted.
The Church of Saint Porphyrius posted an update on Facebook Monday denying the claims. The church wrote that the building remains standing, and it is taking in Palestinian refugees.
“Our beloved brothers in the Lord, we inform you that the church of St. Porferius in Gaza is in the best condition,” the church wrote. “And the news you spread is nothing more than rumors. We thank all of you who asked and cared. And we ask you to pray for us.”
The Church of Saint Porphyrius continued to deny the accusations in three other statements throughout the day Monday, claiming to be “at its best.”
Ahmed later acknowledged that his claim was inaccurate, writing on X that “the church confirmed it has remained untouched.” However, he has not deleted the original post asserting destruction of the church as of late Monday afternoon, leading to criticism from X users.
“Some more misinformation by you,” one user said. “You have a big account and responsibilities.”
“So..are you going to delete the first post and apologize?” another user asked.
The posts come as Israel begins its counteroffensive in Gaza after Hamas terrorists invaded the country. Israel has vowed to fiercely defend its territory and citizens in response to the attack.
The Israeli government formally declared war on Hamas Sunday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging Palestinian civilians to evacuate from areas near Hamas military sites ahead of Israeli counterstrikes.
“All the places in which Hamas is based, in this city of evil, all the places Hamas is hiding in, acting from — we’ll turn them into rubble,” Netanyahu said.
Source: CBS Austin