Israel says ‘deviation of munitions' led to deadly strike on Gaza Catholic church
A picture shows a view of a damaged facade of the Holy Family Church on July 18, 2025, a day after it was hit in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 17. | Credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images
By Daniel Payne
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said a 'deviation of munitions' led to the accidental strike on Holy Family Church in Gaza, an incident that resulted in three deaths and multiple injuries last week.
The July 17 strike claimed the lives of three civilians at the church and injured nine, including the pastor, Father Gabriel Romanelli. The church has served as a shelter for more than 600 people since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.
Israeli officials said last week that the parish was 'mistakenly' hit by IDF fire. In a statement on July 23, meanwhile, military spokesman Nadav Shoshani said an IDF inquiry showed the church was struck 'due to an unintentional deviation of munitions.'
'The impact caused damage to the structure and injured several Gazan civilians,' Shoshani said. The statement did not mention the three deaths at the parish.
The IDF 'directs its military strikes solely at military targets and works to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure as much as possible, including religious institutions,' the statement said.
The Israeli military 'regrets any harm caused to civilians,' the statement added.
'Grave dangers'
In a Wednesday statement, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said it learned of the results of the inquiry through media reports.
'The published findings of the investigation only underscore the grave dangers of conducting military operations in the vicinity of religious and civilian sites,' the statement said.
The findings 'once again highlight the vital importance of upholding the principles of international humanitarian law.'
The Wednesday statement from IDF said the military has 'facilitated the entry of humanitarian aid, including food, medical equipment, and medication, to the Holy Family Church in Gaza,' though the patriarchate said on Wednesday that aid 'has not yet been delivered' to the parish.
Aid workers would distribute food and medical supplies to the parish and surrounding neighborhoods upon being let into the area, the patriarchate said.
The bombing has greatly stirred tensions in a region already fraught with conflict, particularly in the nearly two years since Hamas invaded Israel, touching off a protracted conflict that has left tens of thousands dead.
Holy Family Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, has often been at the center of media and international attention amid the conflict. It has provided shelter and aid to hundreds in the war-torn region.
Pope Francis made regular nightly calls to the parish in the roughly year and a half leading up to his death, with the parish children calling the Holy Father 'grandfather.'
Though IDF issued an unprecedented admittance of error last week, Patriarchate Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa stirred tensions further when he suggested to an Italian newspaper that the strike may have been made on purpose.
'They say it was an error. Even if everybody here believes it wasn't,' the prelate said last week.--CNA
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