Israeli church where ‘Jesus fed the 5,000’ is gutted by arsonists

A famous Israeli church complex has been ruined in what is thought to have been an arson attack by a gang of youths. The Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha is where Christians believe Jesus fed 5,000 people in the miracle of five loaves and two fish. A church spokesman blamed Jewish extremists for the attack on the church and police arrested 16 young Jewish settlers for questioning. They were later released without charge. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said there was “a strong possibility” the fire was deliberate.

Such incidents go against Jewish values and human morality.

Wadie Abu Nasser, adviser to the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land

One of the buildings within the compound area was completely destroyed and a souvenir shop, an office for pilgrims and a meeting room were badly damaged. Bibles and prayer books were also destroyed in the fire. But the church itself, which sits on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, was not damaged. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation. Hebrew graffiti was scrawled on another building in the complex, reading: “Idols will be cast out”, the text being part of a common Jewish prayer.

Middle East