At least two people were killed and several others were injured after the Holy Family Church in northern Gaza was hit by an Israeli strike on Thursday morning, Catholic Church officials said.
Two people who were in critical condition later succumbed to their injuries, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem told Euronews.
"With deep sorrow, the Latin Patriarchate can now confirm that two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning," the seat of the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said.
"We pray for the rest of their souls and for the end of this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," it added.
The Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem said the two victims were the parish’s 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old woman receiving psychosocial support inside a Caritas tent in the church compound.
The church in Deir Al was sheltering civilians, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the wounded.
Others injured included one child with disabilities, two women and an elderly person, Naem said.
Among the injured was Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest known for his daily conversations with the late Pope Francis.
Over the course of the last 18 months of his life, Pope Francis would call Romanelli to see how the faithful and those sheltering in the church were coping with the war.
The building of the only Catholic church in the Strip was damaged in the attack, officials said, in what witnesses said appeared to be an Israeli tank shelling.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has slammed Israel for the strike. “The attacks on the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude,” Meloni said.
The Israeli military said it was aware of the damage caused to the church and is investigating.
The Israeli military said it “makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them.” Israel accuses Hamas militants of operating from civilian areas.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a formal apology for the strike. “Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty,” the ministry said in a post on social media.
Some 1,000 Christians live in Gaza, according to the US State Department’s international religious freedom report for 2024. The majority of Palestinian Christians are Eastern Orthodox, but faithful of other Christian denominations such as Catholics also live in the Strip, according to the report.
Separately, another person was killed and 17 injured Thursday in a strike which hit two schools sheltering displaced people in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike.
The strikes come as Israel and Hamas continue talks for a ceasefire in Gaza, though little progress has been made.
Indirect negotiations in Qatar between Israel and Hamas are at a standstill after 21 months of war, which began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 251.
Fifty hostages are still being held, although fewer than half of them are believed to be alive.
Israel’s subsequent offensive resulted in the deaths of over 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally.
