Three killed and several injured in Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church

Three people have been killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, according to church officials.

Several other people, including the parish priest, were injured.

The Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem said the parish’s 60-year-old caretaker and an 84-year-old woman receiving psycho-social support inside a Caritas tent in the church compound were among those killed in the attack.

The Israeli military said it is aware of the incident and is investigating.

Parish priest Fr Gabriel Romanelli, who was close to the late Pope Francis, was also injured.

The church compound was sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the dead and people injured.

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

Israel accuses Hamas militants of operating from civilians areas.

In a rare move, the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted an apology on social media.

“Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty,” the ministry said.

Italian premier Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the strike on the church.

“The attacks on the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude,” she said.

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.

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 injured 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.