A post shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, claims that Israel destroyed the Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza.

Media coverage| Israeli attacks on #Gaza have targeted the third oldest #church in the world, which was 1616 years old, Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church. pic.twitter.com/9oxosKr8EQ

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 9, 2023

Verdict: Misleading

No footage has emerged confirming the destruction. A Facebook page apparently belonging to the church refuted the claims.

Fact Check:

Social media users have been sharing a claim that Israel destroyed a Greek Orthodox church. The Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church, in its current form, was built in the 12th century, though an earlier church had existed there in the 5th century, according to Wikipedia.

However, there is no evidence for this claim. Check Your Fact did not find any media outlets reporting the destruction of the church. A wider internet search also did not yield any results for the alleged destruction of the church.

A Facebook page that purportedly belongs to the church refuted the claims in a lengthy statement that included Arabic, Greek and English.

“Dear beloveds in Christ. We would like to inform you that Saint Porphyrios Church in Gaza is untouched and operating in service of the community and our congregation. The news circulating about it being damaged are false. We appreciate your concern for thr safety of our church and people and request your prayers for us,” reads the statement.

Check Your Fact could not independently verify that the page is controlled by the church, though publications such as The National, a United Arab Emirates outlet, reported in other articles that the church has used the Facebook page before.

Check Your Fact has debunked claims related to Israel. Read them here. (RELATED: Fact Checking Videos, Images And Posts From The October Hamas Attack On Israel)

Note: Check Your Fact is working to debunk false and misleading claims from the recent event. Please send tips to [email protected]. 

Note: The rating of this article may change from misleading to false if Check Your Fact independently verifies that the church controls the Facebook page that refuted the claim.