logo
Christian leaders visit Gaza to offer condolences after deadly Israeli attack on church

Christian leaders visit Gaza to offer condolences after deadly Israeli attack on church

The National18-07-2025
Two senior Christian leaders entered Gaza on Friday to offer condolences after at least three people were killed in an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic Church in the enclave.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, were allowed into Gaza – where entry is tightly controlled by Israel – to offer a message of solidarity after the attack.
The visit took place after US President Donald Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza city. The White House said the President did not react positively to the incident.
'I think it's an understatement to say that [Mr Trump] was not happy,' said a State Department's spokeswoman. Mr Netanyahu 's office acknowledged on Thursday that "stray ammunition" hit the church, describing the incident as a "mistake".
During their visit to Gaza, the Christian leaders "will meet with members of the local Christian community, offer condolences and solidarity and stand alongside those affected by the recent events", the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said. Cardinal Pizzaballa "will personally assess the humanitarian and pastoral needs of the community", it added.
The patriarchate said the church officials would also deliver aid and essential assistance 'not only to the Christian community, but also to as many families as possible", with help from aid workers. "This includes hundreds of tonnes of food supplies as well as first aid kits and urgently needed medical equipment," it said.
The delegation also arranged the evacuation of people injured in the attack to medical centres outside Gaza.
Pope Francis would call the church in Gaza city every day to offer comfort to priests and Palestinians sheltering there. The parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was one of several people injured in the Israeli attack.
Pope Leo XIV, who succeeded Pope Francis in May, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after the strike. 'His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza," said a statement issued through the Vatican's Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. "His Holiness renews his call for an immediate ceasefire and expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region."
The church sustained "extensive damage" in the attack, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Netanyahu slammed for joking about fast food on Nelk Boys podcast as Gaza starves
Netanyahu slammed for joking about fast food on Nelk Boys podcast as Gaza starves

Middle East Eye

time25 minutes ago

  • Middle East Eye

Netanyahu slammed for joking about fast food on Nelk Boys podcast as Gaza starves

The Full Send Podcast is facing intense backlash on social media and has lost over 10,000 subscribers in less than a day after publishing an hour-long interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 21 July. The podcast, hosted by Kyle Forgeard and Aaron Steinberg of the Nelk Boys - a Canadian-American influencer collective known for its conservative-leaning content - is particularly popular among young men. The interview, which starts with Netanyahu praising US President Donald Trump and their "decades-long" friendship, quickly shifts to Netanyahu expressing alarm over shifting attitudes among young Americans towards Israel. "I'm concerned that the young people in America are getting the wrong picture of Israel," he says. He goes on to justify his podcast appearance as part of a broader image campaign: "The only way you can fight lies is with the truth. And you have to tell it as often and as intensely as the lies that are leveled against you... I'm doing this podcast among other things to reach young people." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As reports from humanitarian groups were confirming that children are dying of starvation in Gaza, Netanyahu appeared on the podcast to crack jokes about his longtime love of fast food: "I was a junk food junkie for many years," he said with a chuckle. 'Out of touch' He then went on to reminisce about an occasional visit to the US with his wife Sarah, saying: "You know what the first thing we did was? McDonald's. And to be honest, Burger King. I like Burger King more." The casual tone and detachment from the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza drew swift condemnation online. "As Gaza starves, Netanyahu jokes about McDonald's with 'manosphere' podcasters Nelk Boys. What a genocidal disgusting piece of shit," one user wrote on X. Children in Gaza show signs of malnutrition and abuse after detention in Israel Read More » "Imaging being the Nelk Boys [right now] total idiots. full access to Netanyahu, and the hardest hitting question they ask is 'do you prefer Burger King or McDonalds?' while Netanyahu starves an entire population," another user posted. In a tweet on X, One Path Network accused the Nelk Boys of helping to polish Netanyahu's image. "The Nelk Boys had an opportunity to challenge power, to ask about the siege, the bombings, the starvation. Instead, they offered him fries. In doing so, they helped launder the image of a man overseeing one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time." Others said the interview was "the most out-of-touch interview", as Netanyahu shared how he enjoys eating burgers with Trump. "When President Trump comes to Israel. And then we have dinner, we bring this chef, he's like a very good chef. And he gives a seven-course dinner. Telling you, seven-course, it's the longest dinner I've ever had. And you know in this fancy plate he brings up this dressed up hamburger and I look at Trump and he looks at me. Finally we had what we wanted. We got the hamburger, you know," Netanyahu said. "the normalization of Netanyahu, the constant whitewashing of Israel's alleged war crimes... is why a man who has blood dripping from his be invited on to the Nelk Boys' highly influential podcast to jokes about whether he prefers McDonald's or Burger King." — Mobeen Hussain (@amhuss27) July 25, 2025 Scripted The interview also drew sharp backlash for a series of inflammatory remarks made by Netanyahu. Many were outraged by his description of women in Gaza, which he called as "property" during the podcast. "You know what the women in Gaza are? They're property. They're nothing. They have no rights. They're completely subjugated, and God forbid they're executed anytime they commit a so-called offense," he added. Some called the comments "disgusting" while another pointed out the irony. "Claiming to care about the rights of women in Gaza while bombing their homes, starving their children, and denying them access to healthcare and safety. There is no feminism in occupation. You can't liberate women by killing them." The final wave of backlash turned directly towards the Nelk Boys themselves, after a video clip went viral in which they admitted that the interview script had been written and provided by the White House - with no room for edits or input. Nelk boy admits he was given a "script" with questions to ask Netanyahu. This is idiot just confirmed they were doing straight propaganda for Israel — YeetTheRich_ (@_Yeet_The_Rich_) July 23, 2025 The revelation only intensified criticism that the entire episode is "sickening propoganda" that was orchestrated rather than a genuine conversation. "Why the actual FUCK is it not a bigger story that the White House Communications Team setup an interview with Benjamin Netanyahu and the fucking Nelk Boys? What in the name of propaganda is going on here?" asked a user. The Nelk Boys have confirmed that their softball interview with Benjamin Netanyahu was largely scripted as the PM's team had handed them "a paper with questions to ask" in advance. They also revealed the interview was set up by the White House. — Furkan Gözükara (@GozukaraFurkan) July 23, 2025 One person pointed out that the episode was a confirmation of what many had already suspected: "Now it's 100% proof that Netanyahu did this interview only to push propaganda and to try to humanize himself while he commits a genocide." Some called the Nelk Boys "puppets", while many also highlighted the fact that the Nelk Boys were unable to push back with Netanyahu throughout the hour-long interview. "The nelk boys were misinformed and unable to pushback to anything netanyahu said, making it easy for him to spew pure bs propaganda to a largely misinformed younger [audience]," one user wrote. "You guys didn't question him once, this is crazy," another added in the comments on YouTube. The Nelk Boys' YouTube channel lost over 10,000 subscribers within 24 hours of the episode's release on 21 July. The interview also received more dislikes than likes before the group disabled the visibility of the dislike count on the video.

Abdullah bin Zayed welcomes France's announcement on intention to recognise State of Palestine, reaffirms commitment to supporting legitimate rights of Palestinian People
Abdullah bin Zayed welcomes France's announcement on intention to recognise State of Palestine, reaffirms commitment to supporting legitimate rights of Palestinian People

Emirates 24/7

time28 minutes ago

  • Emirates 24/7

Abdullah bin Zayed welcomes France's announcement on intention to recognise State of Palestine, reaffirms commitment to supporting legitimate rights of Palestinian People

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, welcomed the announcement by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, regarding France's intention to recognise the State of Palestine. H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed believes this step reinforces efforts by the international community to advance the two-state solution and establish a just and lasting peace in the region. H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed expressed the UAE's appreciation for this significant decision, which comes at a critical juncture and underscores the need for the international community to uphold its responsibilities and work collectively to revive the political process and bring an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Such efforts would contribute to enhancing regional security and stability, while supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent, sovereign state in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions and international law. H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan also reaffirmed the UAE's unwavering commitment to the aspirations and rights of the Palestinian people, and to continued cooperation with regional and international partners to achieve a just and sustainable solution that ends the conflict and lays the groundwork for a more stable and prosperous future for the peoples of the region. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.

Israel's Knesset vote on the West Bank is an alarming development
Israel's Knesset vote on the West Bank is an alarming development

The National

time3 hours ago

  • The National

Israel's Knesset vote on the West Bank is an alarming development

To gauge how noxious Israeli politics has become, one need only consider what the past month has been like for Ayman Odeh, the Arab leader of a coalition of leftist parties. The Knesset, Israel's legislature, moved to impeach Mr Odeh for a tweet earlier in the year in which he said he was 'happy for the release of [Israeli] hostages and [Palestinian] prisoners' – the inclusion of both groups in the same sentence apparently too much for his detractors. Parliamentarians voted overwhelmingly – 73 to 14 – for Mr Odeh's expulsion, but a boycott of the session by Ultra-Orthodox parties over an unrelated issue prevented the 90-vote threshold required from being met. Then, last weekend, Mr Odeh was attacked on his way to an anti-war protest in central Israel. His assailants cracked the windshield of his car while he was inside, and chanted 'Death to Arabs'. Police, Mr Odeh says, stood by and did nothing. The silence from his fellow parliamentarians has been deafening. Yet it is little surprise, considering the anti-Arab mood in the Knesset appears to be at a fever pitch. On Wednesday, the legislature voted in favour of a non-binding motion to annex the West Bank, a Palestinian territory whose long-standing occupation by Israeli security forces is illegal under international law. The West Bank is a critical part of historic Palestine and any future Palestinian the vote was overwhelming, with 71 for to 13 against. The Knesset resolution called on the government 'to apply Israeli sovereignty, law, judgement and administration' over large areas where illegal Jewish settlements are present, and noted the entire territory is 'an inseparable part of the land of Israel', to which Israel has a 'natural, historical and legal right'. The anti-Arab mood appears to be at a fever pitch Ten Arab and Islamic countries, along with the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, released a statement on Thursday roundly condemning the Knesset resolution. The statement, of which the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt were signatories, called the resolution 'a flagrant and unacceptable violation of international law', adding it will 'only fuel the growing tension in the region, exacerbated by the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe'. The resolution has been viewed by Israeli politicians as a largely symbolic measure, as it does not carry the force of law. But it is deeply problematic, both as an antagonistic barb against the dignity and rights of Palestinians and as a barometer of public sentiment. While it is true that the statements and votes of Members of the Knesset belie more nuanced public opinion, the picture is still disturbing. A poll conducted by The Jerusalem Post in February found that 35 per cent of Israelis favour a 'Jewish-only state, from the river to the sea'. This would, in effect, include the prospect of annexation of the West Bank and the end of hopes for a Palestinian state. The pro-annexation movement is about much more than territorial claims. It inherently denies Palestinians the right to exist as a national community – it is no coincidence the most prominent supporters of annexing the West Bank apply their logic to Gaza, too. The fact that it has become an ideological staple in the Knesset makes its success as eventual national policy much likelier, and that ought to alarm everyone in the region, as well as Israel's allies in the West. A generalised acceptance of lawlessness and oppression among most of a country's politicians can have concrete consequences. Even if the annexation resolution is symbolic, the violent assault against Mr Odeh was very real.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store