AP says the 800 died in the city that weekend:
Those memories haunt a deacon at the country’s most sacred Ethiopian Orthodox church in Axum, where local faithful believe the ancient Ark of the Covenant is housed. As Ethiopia’s Tigray region slowly resumes telephone service after three months of conflict, the deacon and other witnesses gave The Associated Press a detailed account of what might be its deadliest massacre.
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He believes some 800 people were killed that weekend at the church and around the city, and that thousands in Axum have died in all. The killing continues: On the day he spoke to the AP last week he said he had buried three people.
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Instead, the church had become a refuge for people who fled the fighting elsewhere in Tigray. They sheltered there as worship services were underway two days before the anniversary.
Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers had arrived in Axum more than a week earlier, with heavy bombardment. But on Nov. 28 the Eritrean soldiers returned in force to hunt down members of the local militia who had mobilized against them in Axum and nearby communities.
The deacon recalled soldiers bursting into the church, cornering and dragging out worshippers and shooting at those who fled.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/horrible-witnesses-recall-massacre-ethiopian-holy-city-75965312The NY Post got the 'defending' claim from The Times in London (a Murdoch broadsheet paper):
Ethiopian worshippers risked lives to save Ark of the Covenant from soldiers
“When people heard the shooting they ran to the church to give support to the priests and others who were there protecting the ark,” Getu Mak, 32, a university lecturer, told The Times. “Certainly some of them were killed for doing that.”
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Up to 800 people were killed in and around the Church of St Mary of Zion at the end of November by pro-government forces, according to an account given by a deacon at Axum’s most revered site.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ethiopian-worshippers-risked-lives-to-save-ark-of-the-covenant-from-soldiers-ztl36pcfhSo "some were killed for supporting people who were protecting the ark" became "at least 800 people were reportedly killed in Ethiopia as worshippers and soldiers risked their lives to protect..." in the NYP article body, and "At least 800 Ethiopians killed after defending" in their headline. A game of telephone.
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