Gaza Bishop: Hamas Used Church to Fire Rockets

Gaza City's Greek Orthodox church which was sheltering 2,000 displaced Palestinians at the time, was used by members of Hamas as a launching pad for rockets fired at Israeli territory, according to Archbishop Alexios, Gaza's most prominent Christian leader.

Bishop Alexios told CBN News he opened the doors of the Saint Porphyrios church to the Palestinians because of his faith, "Christ tells us we must love each other, our neighbors, and our enemies."

Alexios and the estimated 1,500 Arab Christians who live in the Gaza Strip walk a fine line between trying to stay alive and the Bible's command to share God's love. Since Hamas' 2007 takeover of Gaza, residents say it's imposed strict Taliban-style Islamic laws on the people.

"Islam is the rule of this place and whatever Hamas says we must obey or face consequences," Alexios explained.

Now he's now concerned about what comes next after the guns fall silent and missiles and rockets stop flying.

"There's a lot of anger on the street. We need forgiveness and love to flow," he said.

Alexios took CBN News to the roof terrace outside his office to show how Islamists used the church compound to launch rockets into Israel. He refused to discuss details on camera for security reasons, but days after the war started, Israeli missiles targeted an area close to the church sanctuary.

The Bishop said he's not out to pick a fight with Hamas or Israel. He simply wants to serve people.