Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church kills three
Parish Priest of the Holy Family church in Gaza City Father Gabriel Romanelli receives care after he was injured in an Israeli strike on the church, at the city's Arab Ahli, also known as Baptist, hospital on Jul 17, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Omar Al-Qattaa)
GAZA CITY: An Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church killed three people on Thursday (Jul 17), the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, as Israel said it "never targets" religious sites and regretted any harm to civilians.
The Patriarchate condemned "this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place," saying two women and one man had died in the attack on the Holy Family Church.
Pope Leo XIV said he was "deeply saddened" by the attack, which came as Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory killed at least 20 people.
"With deep sorrow, the Latin Patriarchate can now confirm that three people were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning," it said in a statement.
"We pray for the rest of their souls and for the end of this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians."
Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said three people were killed in an Israeli strike on the church in Gaza City, with which the late Pope Francis kept regular contact through the war.
AFP photographs showed the wounded being treated in a tented area at Gaza City's Al-Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, with parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli with a bandage around his lower leg.
Some of the wounded arrived on stretchers, with one man wearing an oxygen mask.
The patriarchate, which has jurisdiction for Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Cyprus, condemned the strike and said it "destroyed large parts of the complex".
"Targeting a holy site currently sheltering approximately 600 displaced persons, the majority of whom are children and 54 with special needs, is a flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe haven in times of war," it said.
"This horrific war must come to a complete end," the statement added, saying the victims had turned to the compound after "their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away."
Israel expressed "deep sorrow" over the damage and civilian casualties, adding that the military was investigating.
"Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians," the foreign ministry said on X.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident. "The results of the investigation will be published," it said.
"SERIOUS ACT"
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said attacks on civilians in Gaza were "unacceptable" while her Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called the church attack "a serious act against a Christian place of worship".
"The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Meloni added.
Out of the Gaza Strip's population of more than two million, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.
Since the early days of the war, which erupted in October 2023, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at the Holy Family Compound in Gaza City, where some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge.
Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war and in his final Easter message, a day before his death on Apr 21, he condemned the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in the Palestinian territory.
In a telegram for the victims, Pope Leo said he was "deeply saddened" and called for "an immediate ceasefire."
The pope expressed his "profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region," according to the telegram which was signed by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and made no mention of Israel.
"TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE"
Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, the head of Catholic charity l'Oeuvre d'Orient, told AFP the raid was "totally unacceptable".
"It is a place of worship. It is a Catholic church known for its peaceful attitude, for being a peacemaker. These are people who are at the service of the population," he said.
"There was no strategic objective, there were no jihadists in this church. There were families, there were civilians. This is totally unacceptable and we condemn in the strongest possible terms this attitude on the part of Israel."
More than 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for Gaza's population, displacing most residents at least once and triggering severe shortages of food and other essentials.
The war was triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 58,573 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties.
