Israel bombs Gaza's only Catholic church, killing at least two
The attack on the Holy Family Church, also known as the Latin Monastery Church, has sparked worldwide condemnation, including a backlash from the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem confirmed that Father Gabriel Romanelli was wounded in the strike, and said there was significant damage to the building.
The Patriarchate added that the strike resulted in casualties of displaced civilians, who had taken shelter inside the church.
The Israeli army has previously targeted the church, causing extensive damage.
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Since Israel's war on Gaza, Palestinians have sought refuge in places of worship across the Gaza Strip, including churches and mosques.
Early this year, the spokesperson for Gaza's Ministry of Endowments told Anadolu Agency that three churches have been demolished in Gaza since 7 October 2023, while 79 percent of mosques have been destroyed.
Israel's war erases Gaza's religious and cultural heritage Read More »
Following the strike on Thursday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Israel "never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians".
The statement added that the army was "examining this incident, the circumstances of which are still unclear, and the results of the investigation will be published transparently".
Israeli attacks on mosques and churches since the war began have been widely documented.
Hamas condemned the Thursday attack, saying in a statement that it "represents a new crime committed against places of worship and innocent displaced persons.
"The enemy's continued heinous massacres, its policy of starving our people in the Gaza Strip, the killing of innocent civilians in all areas of the Gaza Strip, and the targeting of mosques, churches, hospitals, bakeries, water wells, and all city facilities constitute flagrant war crimes," the Palestinian movement said.
UN officials warn of 'unspeakable' conditions
Elsewhere, top United Nations officials warned during an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday of an "unspeakable level of devastation" in Gaza, noting that children are "paying the highest price".
Amid starvation, a collapsing health sector and ongoing Israeli bombardment, Tom Fletcher, the UN emergency relief coordinator, said there was no 'vocabulary' left to properly describe conditions on the ground.
The UN emergency fund for children said that an average of 28 children are killed in Gaza every day, "the equivalent of an entire classroom'.
"Consider that for a moment," said its executive director Catherine Russell. "A whole classroom of children killed every day, for nearly two years.
"These children are not combatants. They are being killed and maimed as they line up for lifesaving food and medicine."
Early this week, health officials in Gaza reported that seven children were killed after an Israeli air strike targeted a water distribution site in central Gaza.
Such attacks have been commonplace in the besieged enclave, with another attack last week reportedly killing several children and women who were awaiting nutritional aid supplies.
Meanwhile, aid seekers suffocated from teargas and overcrowding at the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Wednesday.
The Government Media Office in Gaza said the Israeli army forced starving Palestinians into narrow metal passageways, as they sprayed them with chemical gas, leading to a number of deaths and injuries as a result of the suffocation.
"We assure the local and international public that this organisation is not a humanitarian entity and does not adhere to any professional or ethical standards for relief work," the media office said.
"Rather, it is a dangerous security and intelligence tool designed to serve the agendas of the 'Israeli' occupation. It is managed in a murderous manner, representing in its practices a model of mass death traps under the false cover of humanitarian work."
Over 870 Palestinians have been killed at GHF sites, with more than 5,700 wounded and 46 reported missing.
The overall death toll in Gaza has reached 58,573, with 139,607 more wounded.
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