Christian leaders make rare visit to Gaza following deadly Israeli church attack
The visit is highly unusual given Israel's tight control over access in and out of the territory.
Israel says it 'deeply regrets' the incident, blaming stray ammunition for the strike. An investigation is underway.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited the enclave to show their support for Gaza's Catholics, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The two expressed 'the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza,' the Patriarchate - which has jurisdiction for Roman Catholics in Gaza - said.
They brought in food aid and medical supplies to the territory, which is facing a humanitarian crisis. The Patriarchate also said the leaders ensured those injured in the Israeli attack would be evacuated outside Gaza for treatment.
The church in Gaza has become a shelter for the enclave's tiny Christian community and others during the conflict.
Some 600 people, most of them children, were given refuge in the church before it was struck, the Patriarchate said in a statement Thursday.
Pope Leo received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, in which the pontiff expressed the importance of protecting places of worship, the Vatican said.
During the call, Leo renewed his calls for a ceasefire to be reached by the warring sides in Gaza.
Pope Leo 'again expressed his concern for the dramatic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose heartbreaking price is paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick,' according to the statement.
Netanyahu's office confirmed the call, saying that the Israeli leader 'expressed Israel's regret for the tragic incident' and that he offered his 'heartfelt condolences' to the families of the victims of the strike.
There has been international condemnation of the attack, including from key Israeli ally the US, which comes at a time when there has been no let up in the offensive in Gaza.
Nearly 59,000 people have died during the conflict, the Palestinian health ministry says, and ceasefire talks remain deadlocked.
Dr. Fadl Naim, Director of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, asked why those injured in the attack were able to leave when others are barred.
'Is it an attempt to polish the image of the occupation, or a discriminatory act — treating the wounded differently based on religion?' he asked on X.
'What about the tens of thousands of injured Palestinians who are denied their basic right to travel for treatment?'
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN's Dana Karni contributed to this report.
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