Two people were killed and several injured in an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church on Thursday, in an attack condemned as “unacceptable” by the Italian Prime Minister.
A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement.
The Holy Family Church is the only Catholic church inside the besieged Palestinian enclave.
"We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the church.
Israel’s foreign ministry issued an apology for the incident in a rare move.
"Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza city and over any civilian casualty," the ministry said.
Pope Leo expressed his sadness over the deaths and reiterated his hope for dialogue in a telegram for the victims signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state.
He also renewed his "call for an immediate ceasefire” and he expressed his “profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region”. The Vatican’s statement made no reference to the Pope condemning the attack.
Among those injured was Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentinian, who used to regularly update Pope Francis about the war ravaging Gaza. He suffered light leg injuries, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said.
The church was sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including several children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the wounded.
At least two people were in critical condition, and others injured included one child with disabilities, two women and an elderly person, Mr Naem said.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem added that the church had sustained damage.
A Christian Palestinian man, who spoke anonymously to The Independent due to fears for his safety, said the strike hit right next to the part of the church compound where the elderly and those with disabilities were sheltering.
Two of his relatives – one in his sixties and another woman in her eighties – were killed. A younger cousin, in his twenties, is in a critical condition after a piece of shrapnel tore through his body.
“They started hitting in the morning. My parents, who were sheltering in one of the church classrooms, tried to rescue the injured. My father, who is a pharmacist, tried to help as many people as he could.”
He said that one of the main priests discovered the shrapnel in his legs and abdomen while he was trying to help the wounded.
“They couldn’t run or escape – they couldn’t move without oxygen machines.
“My cousin had shrapnel go through his back and abdomen – he’s in a critical condition and in the operating room now.”
He said his family sounded depressed and worried that this was just the beginning of a widening offensive in the destroyed Gaza city area.
“They have nothing else they can do but pray.”
“Their message is simple: ‘We need safety. That’s it. That’s all we ask for.’ Most people just want to get out of Gaza.”
The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the attack, in a sign of her growing opposition to Israel’s military campaign in the enclave.
She wrote on X: “Israeli raids on Gaza also hit the Holy Family Church.
“The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such behaviour.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) earlier said it was “aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza city and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review.“
“The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them,” its statement added.
The church is just a stone’s throw from Al-Ahli Hospital, Mr Naem said, noting that the area around both the church and the hospital has been repeatedly struck for over a week.
Only 1,000 Christians live in Gaza, an overwhelmingly Muslim territory, according to the US State Department’s international religious freedom report for 2024. The report says the majority of Palestinian Christians are Greek Orthodox, but they also include other Christians, including Roman Catholics.
In the last 18 months of his life, Francis would often call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how the people huddled inside were coping with the devastating war.
Francis called the only Catholic church in the strip hours after the war in Gaza began in October 2023. It marked the start of what the Vatican News Service said was a nightly routine throughout the war.
Francis was an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza and used his final appearance to call for an immediate ceasefire in the “deplorable” conflict.
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