Israeli forces have bombed the Holy Family Church in Gaza City — the only Catholic church in the besieged enclave — killing at least three people and injuring ten others, including a priest, according to a report by Al Jazeera, citing a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The attack, which took place on Thursday, left one person in critical condition. Among the deceased were a 60-year-old church janitor and an 84-year-old woman who had been receiving psychosocial care under a Caritas tent within the church compound, the Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem confirmed.
Video footage verified by Al Jazeera shows Father Gabriel Romanelli, the church pastor, with a bandaged leg after the attack. Despite his injury, he appeared to be in stable condition.
The Patriarchate strongly condemned the bombing, stating:
“The people in the Holy Family Compound are people who found in the Church a sanctuary – hoping that the horrors of war might at least spare their lives, after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away.”
Eyewitnesses described the horror of the strike. Shadi Abu Dawoud, a 47-year-old Palestinian Christian, said that the church had been sheltering displaced civilians, primarily the elderly and children. His own mother sustained a serious head injury during the bombing.
“We were taken by surprise by this Israeli air strike. This is a barbaric and unjustifiable act,” he told Al Jazeera.
Mohammed Abu Hashem, 69, who lives next to the church, recounted the massive explosion:
“The horror we are living in is beyond description… It is not even close to what you watch [on TV] or hear.”
Father Bashar Fawadleh, a parish priest in the West Bank, said he spoke with the assistant priest of the Holy Family Church shortly after the attack:
“They bombed the church itself… Our feeling is between hope and sorrow, between life and death.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told Vatican News that an Israeli tank directly hit the church. While Israeli forces claimed it was a mistake, the Patriarchate remains skeptical.
The assault on the church is part of a broader Israeli military campaign across Gaza. On the same day, Al Jazeera reported that at least 32 Palestinians were killed in various strikes, 25 of them in Gaza City alone.
Pope Leo expressed deep sorrow over the attack in a message conveyed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and renewed efforts for peace and reconciliation in the region. The late Pope Francis had previously shown solidarity with Gaza’s Christian community, maintaining regular contact with the parish until his passing in April.
This is not the first time a religious site in Gaza has been targeted. In October 2023, Israel bombed the Church of Saint Porphyrius, the oldest in Gaza, killing at least 18 people.
As the war continues, the destruction of sacred spaces and civilian shelters further underscores the mounting toll on Gaza’s most vulnerable populations.
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