Charlie Kirk Demands Answers From Israel on Church Bombing

Conservative commentator and radio talk show host Charlie Kirk wants answers from Israel after the country admitted to bombing a church where Christian civilians were sheltered, resulting in numerous deaths.

The historic Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza, nearly 1,700 years old and one of the world's oldest, was struck by an Israeli missile on Friday and partially destroyed. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) later took responsibility for the attack, claiming the church was a target for a nearby Hamas command center.

The death toll from the airstrike was 16 to 18, according to various reports, with reportedly several children among those killed. There are approximately 1,000 Christians in Gaza, many of whom attend the church that was bombed.

On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest ever airstrikes on Gaza. As of Monday, at least 4,600 people have been killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, while 1,400 people were killed in Israel, with 212 taken into Gaza as hostages, according to Reuters.

"Until now I've refrained from tweeting about the damage done to the 12th-century Greek Orthodox church of St Porphyrius in Gaza," wrote Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, on X, formerly Twitter. "After last week's hospital fiasco, I wanted to wait for more facts to be established. But it now seems confirmed that Israel did actually bomb a building adjacent to the church, killing Christians who were sheltering there, including family of Justin Amash."

Amash, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, wrote on X that "several of his relatives" were among those killed in that specific blast.

"Frankly, it's wrong that there was substantially more outrage when Gaza's own militants shot their own rocket at their own hospital parking lot, than when Christians died sheltering in the oldest church in Gaza," Kirk added.

Another conservative commentator, Candace Owens, agreed with Kirk. "I have been disgusted by the propagandists pretending a Christian church was not bombed," Owens posted to X. "Christians were killed. No Christian should stay silent."

Kirk then referenced the hundreds reportedly killed October 17 in an explosion at the Ahli Arab Hospital, a Christian hospital, in Gaza City. Different sources, defense ministries, Hamas, non-governmental organizations and multiple Arab and Muslim nations tossed blame at one another for who actually bombed the hospital.

U.S. intelligence services later concluded that the IDF was not responsible for the attack and that 500 civilians did not die there. Hamas remains defiant that its own Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) rocket did not go off course and kill the civilians.

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which runs the bombed church, accused Israel of targeting the site.

"The Patriarchate emphasizes that targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens ... constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored," the statement read.

"I've been disappointed by Israel's response," Kirk continued. "What intelligence was Israel responding to; what target were they going after that justified putting a historic church in danger? Israel says the church blast is 'under investigation.' But contrition and a full accounting should be the top of Israel's priority list."

He added: "Israel quickly apologized recently when it mistakenly targeted an Egyptian position. Christians around the world are Israel's number 1 ally, and if a Christian church was targeted we need to know exactly why and how."

About 200 children, women, elderly and sick people were taking shelter at the church when it was attacked, survivor Ibrahim Al-Souri told Al-Jazeera.

Newsweek reached out to Kirk and Turning Point USA via email for comment on Monday.