Two people have been killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, according to church officials.
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.
In a telegram for the victims signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Pope Leo said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack.”
He “assures the parish priest, father Gabriele Romanelli, and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness,” the telegram said.
The Pope renewed his “call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region.”
Among those injured was Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine, who used to regularly update 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.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the attack.
She wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “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 Defense Forces (IDF) 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 people huddled inside were coping with a 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 would describe as a nightly routine throughout the war.
The pope was an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza and used his final appearance to call for an immediate ceasefire to the “deplorable” conflict.