On October 7, 2023, the fundamentalist Islamist organization Hamas committed an unprecedented terrorist attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, October 7, 2023, killing over 1,400 Israelis.
Responding to these accusations, the Israeli military claimed that the strike on the church was actually aimed at a nearby militant command center and that the incident was under review.
"We declare next Friday, 'The Friday of the Al-Aqsa Flood,' as a day of general mobilization in our Arab and Islamic world and among the free people of the world. It is a day to rally support, offer aid, and participate actively," Hamas announced.