Sources close to the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza have warned of the potential loss of dozens of Palestinian lives beneath the rubble of an annexed hall connected to one of the oldest churches in the region.

This comes after the complex was targeted in an Israeli Occupation airstrike Thursday.

According to these sources, the majority of those trapped beneath the rubble are parishioners who sought refuge in the hall of the historic "St. Porphyrius Church" building, along with displaced individuals from both the northern and southern regions of Gaza, seeking shelter from the relentless Israeli Occupation airstrikes that have persisted for the past two weeks.

Around 1,000 people, mostly parishioners and families displaced from the north, have sought shelter within the church, its school and other facilities.