Cyprus’ authorities and Greek Orthodox church have remained silent after the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrios church in Gaza City was ordered to evacuate by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

The church’s location is now listed as a “red zone” on the IDF’s Arabic-language website, meaning that civilians located there have been ordered to evacuate immediately.

Meanwhile, the Catholic church of Holy Family remains outside of the “red zones”, while the Anglican Saint Philip’s church is subject to an evacuation order.

The news comes as Israel continues to escalate its offensive in Gaza, with the IDF aiming to take control of Gaza City by force.

Israel’s security cabinet, a body which acts as an “inner cabinet” inside the country’s government, had approved a plan to take control of the city earlier this month, hours after the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said Israel intended to take military control of the entire strip.

As the offensive continued, the Greek Orthodox and Latin Patriarchates of Jerusalem on Tuesday made a joint statement declaring their intention to remain in Gaza.

“Since the outbreak of the war, the Greek Orthodox compound of Saint Porphyrius and the Holy Family compound have been a refuge for hundreds of civilians. Among them are elderly people, women and children,” the joint statement declared.

It added that there is now “more destruction and death in a situation that was already dramatic before this operation”.

“It seems that the Israeli government’s announcement that ‘the gates of hell will open’ is indeed taking on tragic forms.”

However, they declared that leaving Gaza City behind is not an option, as it would be even less safe than staying in place.

“Among those who have sought shelter within the walls of the compounds, many are weakened and malnourished due to the hardships of the last months. Leaving Gaza City and trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence,” they said.

“For this reason, the clergy and nuns have decided to remain and continue to care for all those who will be in the compounds.”

They said that they “do not know exactly what will happen on the ground”, but stressed that “there can be no future based on captivity, displacement of Palestinians, or revenge”.

As the situation continued to deteriorate, Cyprus’ authorities continued to refrain from making statements on the matter.

Thessalia Salina Shambos, appointed as the Republic of Cyprus’ special representative for religious freedoms and the protection of minorities in the Middle East last December, last publicly mentioned Gaza when hailing the sending of humanitarian aid in the direction of the strip last week.

Meanwhile, the Cyprus Mail made persistent and repeated attempts to contact the Church of Cyprus but received no response.

In June, Archbishop Georgios had publicly intervened to call for the continued operation of the Greek Orthodox monastery of Saint Catherine in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, asking, “is it possible, in the 21st century … for the self-evident to be questioned?”

He also called on Egypt to “respect what the centuries have honoured”.