
'Israel' strikes on east Lebanon kill 12: state media
"Enemy warplanes launched raids on the Wadi Fara area in the northern Bekaa Valley, one of which targeted a camp for displaced Syrians, resulting in the deaths of 12 martyrs, including seven Syrians, and eight wounded," Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Roya News
3 hours ago
- Roya News
Gaza's only Catholic church, frequently contacted by late Pope Francis, was hit today
Three members of Gaza's Christian community were killed on Thursday when an Israeli strike hit the Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic church in the besieged enclave, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The compound, which has been sheltering hundreds of displaced civilians, sustained heavy damage in what church officials condemned as a "flagrant violation of human dignity" and "targeting of innocent civilians." The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed the fatalities, stating that two individuals were initially killed, with a third succumbing to wounds later. Among the injured was the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, who was seen with a bandage on his leg at Gaza City's Al-Ahli Hospital. Photographs from the hospital showed the wounded being treated in makeshift tents. The Holy Family Church compound had been providing refuge to approximately 600 displaced Palestinians, including 54 people with special needs, since the war began. Elias Al-Jaldah, a member of the Agents Council of the Arab Orthodox Church in Gaza, revealed the shelling occurred "only 10 minutes after the prayer service ended," warning that a "horrific massacre" would have occurred had worshippers still been present. Jaldah strongly condemned the attack as "part of a systematic campaign targeting churches" aiming to force Gaza's Christian community to leave, asserting their resolve to remain. Pope Francis's Personal Connection to the Church The Holy Family Catholic Church holds profound significance due to its unique connection with the late Pope Francis. From October 9, 2023, just two days after the conflict's escalation, until his passing in April 2025, Pope Francis famously initiated and maintained almost daily phone calls to the church. He would speak with Father Gabriel Romanelli and his assistant, Yusuf Assad, typically around 7 p.m. local time in Gaza. These brief but deeply meaningful calls, often via WhatsApp, served as a vital lifeline and source of comfort for the small Christian community and other displaced individuals sheltering within the compound. Father Romanelli recounted that Pope Francis would ask simple yet profound questions like "How are you?" and "What did you eat?", listening intently to the struggles of hunger, fear, and cold. He would offer blessings and prayers, embodying his message of "closeness, compassion, and tenderness." Church members regarded him as a "saint" and a "beloved father figure" who consistently fought to protect his "small herd" and would tell them, "I am with you, don't be afraid." His last recorded call reportedly occurred just days before his death. Vatican and Global Outcry Current Pope Leo XIV expressed his grief, stating he was "deeply saddened" by the attack and renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire. International condemnation was swift, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni describing the attack as "unacceptable" and her Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani calling it "a serious act against a Christian place of worship." Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, head of the Catholic charity l'Oeuvre d'Orient, directly stated there was "no strategic objective, there were no jihadists in this church. There were families, there were civilians. This is totally unacceptable."


Roya News
3 hours ago
- Roya News
'Israeli' army announces killing of three Hamas fighters in Gaza, including commander
The 'Israeli' military and the Shin Bet security agency announced that a recent airstrike in Gaza killed three alleged Hamas members involved in the October 7 events, including a senior field commander. According to 'the Times of Israel', the strike was carried out on July 10 by the IOF's 282nd Artillery Regiment and resulted in the killing of Eyad Nasser, who the army claims was the deputy commander of Hamas's Jabalia Battalion. The army alleges that Nasser participated in the October 7 cross-border attack and, despite being wounded during the ongoing war in Gaza, later resumed his operational role. According to the 'Israeli' statement, Nasser "was involved throughout the war in terrorist activity targeting Israeli forces in the area, including in recent weeks." The military also said two other Hamas members were killed in the strike: Hassan Mahmoud Muhammad Mar'i, identified as commander of the central Jabalia company, and Mohammad Zaki Shamadeh Hamad, allegedly the deputy commander of a company within Hamas's Beit Hanoun Battalion. All three were said to have taken part in the October 7 events, during which Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern 'Israel'.


Roya News
3 hours ago
- Roya News
Netanyahu tells Trump strike on Gaza church 'a mistake': White House
'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Donald Trump on Thursday that a strike on Gaza's only Catholic church had been "a mistake," the White House said. Trump called Netanyahu after having "not a positive reaction" to learning of the strike, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic church, that's what the prime minister relayed to the president," Leavitt said.