LONDON: The alleged murder of two women by an Israeli sniper in a church complex in Gaza undermines claims of Israel’s “right to defend itself” in its war with Hamas, a British Catholic cardinal said on Monday.

Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar were shot and killed in the grounds of the complex, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in an attack Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster, called a “cold–blooded killing.”

Speaking to Sky News, Nichols said seven more people had been wounded while they were attempting to protect others inside the Holy Family Church, the only Roman Catholic church in Gaza.

“No warning was given, no notification was provided. They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish, where there are no belligerents,” he said.

“This (happened) within what has been clearly designated as a church place, which I cannot believe for a minute has rocket launchers in it (as Israel claims). It’s a community that, since October, has sheltered hundreds of people and looked after them.

“It’s certainly a cold-blooded killing. What absolutely puzzles me is that this does nothing to further Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Pope Francis condemned the shooting, and said: “Some say this is terrorism, this is war; yes, it is war, it is terrorism.”

Israeli army officials have rejected the claims, saying it “does not target civilians, no matter (what) their religion.”

A relative of one of the 300 people trapped in the church said civilians inside the complex were living with an “unreal” sense of fear, and were scared of moving in case they were also shot.

Fifi Saba, whose sister is one of those confined in the church, told the BBC: “They are locked in. They can’t really see the street very much, and most of the time they’re cut off from the world. They don’t have their phones, they don’t have the internet, they don’t have the news.”

A British politician said she feared that her relatives, who are also trapped in the church, would not survive to see Christmas.

Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat member of Parliament, has five extended family members sheltering inside the complex.

Her relatives — a grandmother, her son, his wife and their 11-year-old twins — sought refuge in the church during the first week of Israel’s retaliatory offensive inside Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attacks.

She told Agence France-Presse that those inside were running out of food and water, had no electricity, and were petrified. 

Another elderly family member was with them but died in the middle of November, “primarily through dehydration,” she said.

“It’s dire, absolutely dire,” Moran, who became the UK’s first MP of Palestinian descent when she was elected in 2017, added.

“They need water, they need food and they need it quickly. There’s only so long a human can survive without water.

“They are absolutely desperate; they are terrified. Christmas is not just a time of peace on Earth and goodwill to men, but actually centered on Palestine as the center of the story.”