evidence: The Church of St. Porphyrius, a famed structure in Gaza that is thought to be the world’s third-oldest church, was struck by an Israeli missile that did not detonate on July 29. This is the second strike suffered the historic structure has weathered since October 7, and once again, it sustained damage but avoided destruction altogether. [...] The World Council of Churches (WCC), to which Saint Porphyrius belongs, decried the structure’s targeting in a statement published on July 31. The missile strike came days after a rocket strike on the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, which killed 12 members of its ethnic Druze community. Israel has accused Hezbollah of firing the rocket from Lebanon. Hezbollah has denied involvement, however the deadly incident has exacerbated fears of an imminent regional war. [...] The first strike on St. Porphyrius was in October 2023, shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel. At least 16 Palestinians sheltering inside the church were killed.