Three killed in Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church which Pope Francis called every day

ITV News

17-07-2025

Three people have died after Israeli strikes hit Gaza's only Catholic church which the late Pope Francis made daily phone calls to throughout the war.
According to aid charity CAFOD, two of those killed in the attack were the parish's 60-year-old janitor Saad Salameh and Fumayya Ayyad, an 84-year-old woman who was inside a welfare tent in the church compound.
Several people were also injured in the attack including the parish priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, who became close to Pope Francis before his death in April.
The pontiff would often call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping during the war.
Previously, Father Romanelli described the regular calls with the late Pope as "big consolation for our souls".
The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the war.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News that the church was hit 'directly' by a tank on Thursday morning.
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in response to the attack.
In a telegram of condolences for the victims sent by the Vatican's No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Leo expressed his "profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region'.
The pope was 'deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack,″ and expressed his closeness to the parish priest and the entire parish.
Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of Catholics in England and Wales condemned the 'appalling strike' on the church which he called a 'place of sanctuary and spiritual support amidst the horrors of war'.
He said: 'I add my voice to Pope Leo's call for a return of hostages, and an immediate ceasefire to end the suffering in Gaza and bring peace to the region."
The Israeli military said it was aware of the damage caused at the church and is investigating.
It said the IDF 'makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them'.
In a rare move, the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted an apology on social media. 'Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty,' the ministry said.
Israel has repeatedly said it only targets militants, and accuses Hamas of operating from civilians areas.
Elizabeth Funnell, Middle East representative for CAFOD, said: 'It is outrageous that working as a janitor in a church, Saad Salameh was not safe. He was killed while going about his daily work, in the grounds of a sacred building that should have been protected.
"Fumayya Ayyad was 84, old enough to remember all the changes in the region since World War II. She was sitting down receiving support, in a tent within the church compound, when she was fatally wounded.
'Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest, had been urging people to remain inside their rooms in recent days, as the situation around the church was becoming so dangerous.
"This is not a normal way for people to live, and yet his words and advice undoubtedly saved lives. A colleague in the church compound in Gaza told me: 'If Father Gabriel hadn't warned us to stay indoors, we could have lost 50 to 60 people today. It would have been a massacre.'"
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the strike on the church. 'The attacks on the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude,' she said.
The church is just a stone's throw from Al-Ahli Hospital, said acting director Fadel Naem, noting that the area around both the church and the hospital has been repeatedly struck for over a week.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which also has a church in Gaza that previously sustained damage from Israeli strikes, said the Holy Family Church was sheltering 600 displaced people, including many children, and 54 people with disabilities. It said the building suffered significant damage.
Targeting a holy site 'is a blatant affront to human dignity and a grave violation of the sanctity of life and the inviolability of religious sites, which are meant to serve as safe havens during times of war,' the Church said in a statement.
Around 1,000 Christians live in Gaza, an overwhelmingly Muslim territory, according to the US State Department's international religious freedom report for 2024.
The report says the majority of Palestinian Christians are Greek Orthodox but they also include other Christians, including Roman Catholics.
Separately, another person was killed and 17 injured on Thursday in a strike against two schools sheltering displaced people in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike.