Israeli strike hits Catholic church in Gaza city that Pope Francis called for war updates
Sources said there were several injuries in the attack on the Holy Family Church, including Parish Priest Father Gabriel Romanelli.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said there were no fatalities but that the church sustained damage. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that seven were wounded in the attack on the church, which had been sheltering displaced people.
The Israeli army did not immediately comment.
'There was an attack this morning and four people are hurt,' Sister Nabila Saleh told The National from Jordan. 'This time the [Israelis] bombarded the church directly.'
Sister Saleh led the Rosary Sisters School in Gaza located in the church compound before poor health forced her to leave the territory last year. She spoke to a parish priest in Gaza on Thursday morning who confirmed the attack and four injuries.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X that 'Israeli strikes 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,' Ms Meloni wrote.
Italy's Ansa news agency earlier reported that six people were seriously injured, while parish priest Romanelli, who used to regularly update the late pope on the war, suffered light leg injuries.
Father Romanelli had earlier told CNN that Francis used to call the church about 8pm every day. On most days, he said, the call lasted about 15 minutes, during which the pope would speak with the church leaders and Palestinians sheltering at the church.
The gesture, for Palestinians, became a daily reminder that Gaza was not forgotten.
Francis was unwavering in his stance on the Gaza war. He was one of the most consistent global voices calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted access for aid.
The attack marks the second time the church compound, which had been sheltering about 400 Christians, has been hit in Israeli attacks since the war began.
'They bombarded the church. It is a very terrible situation,' Sister Saleh told The National. 'I know the situation is bad because they don't have the possibility to respond because of the bombing.'
Sister Saleh recalled fear among parishioners in 2023 when she lived in the church compound as Israeli snipers shot dead two women walking from the church to a convent building.
'I'm very scared and anxious,' she said. 'Every day we pray for the people in the church.'
The Roman Catholic Church condemned the December 2023 attack that killed two parishioners. The Israeli army denied its snipers were involved.
The Roman Catholic Church has often called for an end to the Gaza war. At least 17 people were killed in a separate incident in October 2023 when Israeli bombs hit the nearby historic Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius.
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