Friday 18 / July / 2025
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has said that two people were killed and several injured in an apparent Israeli strike on Gaza's sole Catholic church.
"Two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning," the Patriarchate, which oversees the church, said. An earlier statement had claimed there had been no casualites.
The church was being used as a shelter for both Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the wounded.
Of the around 2 million people living in Gaza, some 1,000 are Christians, mostly Orthodox, including around 135 Catholics.
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.
"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.
There have been numerous reports of mosques and other religious buildings being destroyed during Israel's military operations in Gaza.
A statement from the Vatican said Pope Leo XIV was "deeply saddened" by the deaths and that he had called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in a telegram for the victims of the attack.
The deaths at the church compound came as Gaza's civil defense agency reported at least 20 other people dead in Israeli strikes in the Palestinian enclave.
https://p.dw.com/p/4xbYz
