Two die in church as Israeli strikes kill 22 in Gaza
Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha.
A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza.
A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded on Thursday in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement.
"We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the only Catholic church in the enclave.
Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken.
Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack.
TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg.
"The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement.
Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said.
The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident, adding it made "every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them".
Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave.
Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks.
Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce.
As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days.
In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well.
A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance".
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Almost 1650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies.
Israeli forces have killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly.
Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha.
A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza.
A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded on Thursday in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement.
"We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the only Catholic church in the enclave.
Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken.
Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack.
TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg.
"The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement.
Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said.
The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident, adding it made "every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them".
Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave.
Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks.
Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce.
As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days.
In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well.
A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance".
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Almost 1650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies.
Israeli forces have killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly.
Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha.
A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza.
A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded on Thursday in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement.
"We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the only Catholic church in the enclave.
Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken.
Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack.
TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg.
"The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement.
Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said.
The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident, adding it made "every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them".
Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave.
Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks.
Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce.
As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days.
In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well.
A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance".
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Almost 1650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies.
Israeli forces have killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly.
Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in air strikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha.
A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza.
A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded on Thursday in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement.
"We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the only Catholic church in the enclave.
Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken.
Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack.
TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg.
"The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement.
Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said.
The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident, adding it made "every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them".
Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave.
Palestinian medics said one air strike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks.
Three people were killed in an air strike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce.
As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days.
In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well.
A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance".
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Almost 1650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies.
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At least 12 people are dead after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in a sharp escalation of their conflict over a disputed border area. Thailand's health minister said 11 civilians, including a child, and one soldier were killed in artillery shelling by Cambodian forces while 24 civilians and seven military personnel were wounded. Most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a petrol station, the Thai army said. There was no immediate word of casualties in Cambodia. Earlier a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, destroying a military target. Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday. "We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters. Thailand also closed its border with Cambodia. 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Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes. The clashes began early on Thursday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360km from the Thai capital Bangkok. "Artillery shell fell on people's homes," Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, told Reuters, describing the firing by the Cambodian side. Thailand's military said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple. A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate. "We have to be careful," he told reporters. "We will follow international law." Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1000-year-old Preah Vihear temple. In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries. Cambodia went back to the court in 2011 after military clashes killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013. with AP At least 12 people are dead after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in a sharp escalation of their conflict over a disputed border area. Thailand's health minister said 11 civilians, including a child, and one soldier were killed in artillery shelling by Cambodian forces while 24 civilians and seven military personnel were wounded. Most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a petrol station, the Thai army said. There was no immediate word of casualties in Cambodia. Earlier a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, destroying a military target. Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday. "We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters. Thailand also closed its border with Cambodia. Cambodia's defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and accused its neighbour of opening fire on its troops and violating an agreement designed to de-escalate tension. The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently in the disputed area. Thai residents in the Surin border province fled to shelters built of concrete and fortified with sandbags and car tires as the two countries exchanged fire. "How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," a woman told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) while hiding in the shelter with gunfire and explosions heard intermittently in the background. Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes. The clashes began early on Thursday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360km from the Thai capital Bangkok. "Artillery shell fell on people's homes," Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, told Reuters, describing the firing by the Cambodian side. Thailand's military said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple. A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate. "We have to be careful," he told reporters. "We will follow international law." Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1000-year-old Preah Vihear temple. In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries. Cambodia went back to the court in 2011 after military clashes killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013. with AP At least 12 people are dead after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in a sharp escalation of their conflict over a disputed border area. Thailand's health minister said 11 civilians, including a child, and one soldier were killed in artillery shelling by Cambodian forces while 24 civilians and seven military personnel were wounded. Most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a petrol station, the Thai army said. There was no immediate word of casualties in Cambodia. Earlier a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, destroying a military target. Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday. "We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters. Thailand also closed its border with Cambodia. Cambodia's defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and accused its neighbour of opening fire on its troops and violating an agreement designed to de-escalate tension. The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently in the disputed area. Thai residents in the Surin border province fled to shelters built of concrete and fortified with sandbags and car tires as the two countries exchanged fire. "How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," a woman told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) while hiding in the shelter with gunfire and explosions heard intermittently in the background. Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes. The clashes began early on Thursday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360km from the Thai capital Bangkok. "Artillery shell fell on people's homes," Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, told Reuters, describing the firing by the Cambodian side. Thailand's military said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple. A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate. "We have to be careful," he told reporters. "We will follow international law." Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1000-year-old Preah Vihear temple. In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries. Cambodia went back to the court in 2011 after military clashes killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013. with AP At least 12 people are dead after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in a sharp escalation of their conflict over a disputed border area. Thailand's health minister said 11 civilians, including a child, and one soldier were killed in artillery shelling by Cambodian forces while 24 civilians and seven military personnel were wounded. Most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a petrol station, the Thai army said. There was no immediate word of casualties in Cambodia. Earlier a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, destroying a military target. Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday. "We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters. Thailand also closed its border with Cambodia. Cambodia's defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and accused its neighbour of opening fire on its troops and violating an agreement designed to de-escalate tension. The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently in the disputed area. Thai residents in the Surin border province fled to shelters built of concrete and fortified with sandbags and car tires as the two countries exchanged fire. "How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," a woman told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) while hiding in the shelter with gunfire and explosions heard intermittently in the background. Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes. The clashes began early on Thursday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360km from the Thai capital Bangkok. "Artillery shell fell on people's homes," Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, told Reuters, describing the firing by the Cambodian side. Thailand's military said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple. A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate. "We have to be careful," he told reporters. "We will follow international law." Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1000-year-old Preah Vihear temple. In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries. Cambodia went back to the court in 2011 after military clashes killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013. with AP
