Pope Leo XIV renewed his call for an “immediate ceasefire” after an apparent Israeli strike hit the only Catholic church in Gaza.

The strike reportedly killed two people and injured several others, including the parish priest.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in #Gaza. I assure the parish community of my spiritual closeness. I commend the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, and pray for their families and the injured,” Pope Leo XIV said.

“I renew my call for an immediate ceasefire. Only dialogue and reconciliation can ensure enduring peace!” he added.

“Pope Leo XIV expresses his closeness to the people of the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza after an attack by Israeli troops in which two people were killed and several others seriously injured,” Vatican News stated.

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“Two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family compound this morning,” the Latin patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement, according to The Guardian.

Sky News provided coverage:

More from The Guardian:

Before his death in April, the former pope would call Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentinian, every evening to discuss the war in Gaza. He began the routine on 9 October 2023, two days after the attacks on Israel by Hamas, as a way to express solidarity during the conflict.

Reuters footage from the hospital showed Romanelli to be lightly injured, with a bandaged left leg but able to walk.

Witnesses said the church appeared have been hit by Israeli tank shelling.

Pope Leo XIV said in a telegram sent by the Vatican’s secretary of state in his name that he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack” and that he was renewing his calls for an immediate ceasefire.

In a statement, the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said: “The Israeli raids on Gaza have 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.”

The church was sheltering Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Dr Fadel Naim, the acting director of al-Ahli Arab hospital, which received the wounded. At least two people were in a critical condition, Naem said, and among the others injured were a child with disabilities, two women and an elderly person.

“The IDF is 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 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

“The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them,” it added.

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Read further details from the Associated Press:

The church is just a stone’s throw from Al-Ahli Hospital, Naem said, noting that the area around both the church and the hospital has been repeatedly struck for over a week.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which also has a church in Gaza that previously sustained damage from Israeli strikes, said the Holy Family Church was sheltering 600 displaced people, including many children, and 54 people with disabilities. It said the building suffered significant damage.

Targeting a holy site “is a blatant affront to human dignity and a grave violation of the sanctity of life and the inviolability of religious sites, which are meant to serve as safe havens during times of war,” the Church said in a statement.

Separately, another person was killed and 17 wounded Thursday in a strike against two schools sheltering displaced people in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike.

 

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