Jerusalem (EFE).- The Israeli military bombed the Church of the Holy Family, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, inflicting severe damage on the religious center, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said Thursday.
“The Holy Family Church in Gaza has been struck by a raid this morning,” the Patriarchate said in a statement. “There are several injuries in the place including the Parish Priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli.”
According to Arab media outlets, including Palestine’s WAFA news agency, the attack killed two women and wounded seven others.
The Patriarchate confirmed that the church also “sustained damage” in the attack.
“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,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the Vatican News.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) told EFE they were reviewing information related to the strike.
The Catholic news agency SIR reported that the church is currently sheltering about 500 displaced Christians.
The late Pope Francis had reportedly called Father Romanelli daily since the start of the Israeli offensive on Oct. 7, 2023, to check on the situation in Gaza and the hundreds of people seeking refuge in the church.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denounced the attack, describing it as “unacceptable.”
“The Israeli raids on Gaza have also hit the Church of the Holy Family. The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable,” Meloni said in a statement. “No military action can justify such conduct.”
In December 2023, an Israeli sniper reportedly opened fire on the parish, killing a mother and her daughter.
According to the Palestinian National Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, Israeli forces have destroyed 815 mosques across Gaza in 2024 alone.
Thousands of Gazans displaced by Israeli airstrikes have sought refuge in schools, mosques, and the Holy Family Church since the war began nearly two years ago. EFE
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