Israeli tank fire struck Gaza’s only Catholic church on Thursday, killing two Palestinians and wounding several others including the parish priest who was a close friend of the late Pope Francis, church officials confirmed.
The attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City killed a 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old woman receiving psychosocial support inside a Caritas tent, according to Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem. Parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli, who had spoken daily with Pope Francis during the war, sustained light injuries to his leg.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News that Israeli forces struck the church directly. What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this, they hit the church directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin Church,” he said.
The compound was sheltering approximately 450-600 displaced Palestinians, both Christians and Muslims, including numerous children with disabilities who required ventilators to survive, according to church officials and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Pope Leo XIV expressed profound sorrow over the attack, renewing his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. His Holiness is deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack,” the Vatican said in a telegram sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.
The Israeli military acknowledged the incident, stating it was “aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The IDF said circumstances were under review and expressed regret “for any damage caused” to religious sites.
In a rare move, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a public apology on social media. Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty,” the ministry posted. “Israel never targets churches or religious sites.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the strike, declaring: “The attacks on the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude.”
Witness accounts described extensive damage to the church compound. Photos showed part of the church roof near the cross blown away by tank fire, with burn marks down the wall and shattered windows throughout the building.
The explosion occurred near the cross on the church roof, scattering shrapnel and debris across the yard,” Caritas Jerusalem reported. The blast forced evacuation of disabled residents who depended on ventilators, endangering their lives.
Fadel Naem, acting director of nearby Al-Ahli Hospital which received the casualties, confirmed the church was sheltering both Christian and Muslim families. The area around the church and hospital had been “repeatedly struck for over a week,” he said.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate condemned the attack as “a blatant affront to human dignity and a grave violation of the sanctity of life and the inviolability of religious sites, which are meant to serve as safe havens during times of war.
Father Romanelli, an Argentine priest from the Institute of the Incarnate Word, had become internationally known after Pope Francis revealed he called the Gaza parish every evening at 7 p.m. to check on the community’s welfare during the war.
“I call a priest daily at 7 p.m. at the Holy Family Church to hear what was happening to the nearly 600 people sheltering at the facility,” Francis told CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ last year, highlighting the Vatican’s concern for Gaza’s beleaguered Christian minority.
The attack marks the second time Israeli forces have struck the church compound since the war began. In December 2023, an Israeli sniper killed two women taking refuge there, an incident the Latin Patriarchate called intentional targeting “in cold blood.
Gaza’s tiny Christian community numbers only about 1,000 people in the overwhelmingly Muslim territory, according to the US State Department. The majority are Greek Orthodox, with Roman Catholics representing a smaller minority.
The strikes occurred as Israel and Hamas continue indirect negotiations in Qatar for a potential ceasefire, though significant obstacles remain. An Israeli official speaking anonymously said Israel was showing “flexibility” on some contentious issues, including presence in security corridors.
However, core disagreements persist over prisoner exchanges, commitments to permanently end the war, and Israeli military presence in Gaza. Hamas seeks guarantees for a lasting ceasefire, whilst Israel has thus far only agreed to temporary pauses.
The official noted “signs of optimism” but cautioned that no deal was imminent. The US has pushed a 60-day ceasefire proposal with phased hostage releases, though previous attempts have repeatedly collapsed.
The war began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 people taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, with women and children comprising more than half the casualties.
Fifty hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than half believed to be alive. The conflict has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure and displaced nearly the entire population at least once.
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Image Credit:
Holy Family Church in Gaza – Image by Felton Davis, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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