Latest news with #GazaChurch
CNA
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Trump presses Netanyahu over Gaza church strike, White House says reaction ‘not positive'
GAZA CITY: An Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church killed three people on Thursday (July 17), the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, as the White House said US President Donald Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the incident and that his reaction 'was not positive.' The Patriarchate condemned "this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place," saying two women and one man had died in the attack on the Holy Family Church. Pope Leo XIV said he was "deeply saddened" by the attack, which came as Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory killed at least 20 people. "With deep sorrow, the Latin Patriarchate can now confirm that three people were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning," it said in a statement. "We pray for the rest of their souls and for the end of this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians." Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said three people were killed in an Israeli strike on the church in Gaza City, with which the late Pope Francis kept regular contact through the war. AFP photographs showed the wounded being treated in a tented area at Gaza City's Al-Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, with parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli with a bandage around his lower leg. Some of the wounded arrived on stretchers, with one man wearing an oxygen mask. The patriarchate, which has jurisdiction for Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Cyprus, condemned the strike and said it "destroyed large parts of the complex". "Targeting a holy site currently sheltering approximately 600 displaced persons, the majority of whom are children and 54 with special needs, is a flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe haven in times of war," it said. "This horrific war must come to a complete end," the statement added, saying the victims had turned to the compound after "their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away." Israel expressed "deep sorrow" over the damage and civilian casualties, adding that the military was investigating. "Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians," the foreign ministry said on X. The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident. "The results of the investigation will be published," it said. "It was not a positive reaction," a White House spokeswoman said at a press briefing. "He called Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning to address the strikes on that church in Gaza." "And I understand the prime minister agreed to put out a statement. It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic Church. That's what the prime minister relayed to the president," she added. A State Department spokeswoman added, "I think it's an understatement to say that he (Trump) was not happy." The department said Washington had asked Israel to carry out a formal investigation. Netanyahu later said Israel "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church." Israeli forces killed at least 27 people in attacks across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including the three killed in the church strike, according to medics and church officials. "SERIOUS ACT" Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said attacks on civilians in Gaza were "unacceptable" while her Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called the church attack "a serious act against a Christian place of worship". "The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Meloni added. Out of the Gaza Strip's population of more than two million, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory. Since the early days of the war, which erupted in October 2023, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at the Holy Family Compound in Gaza City, where some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge. Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war and in his final Easter message, a day before his death on Apr 21, he condemned the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in the Palestinian territory. In a telegram for the victims, Pope Leo said he was "deeply saddened" and called for "an immediate ceasefire." The pope expressed his "profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region," according to the telegram which was signed by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and made no mention of Israel. "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE" Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, the head of Catholic charity l'Oeuvre d'Orient, told AFP the raid was "totally unacceptable". "It is a place of worship. It is a Catholic church known for its peaceful attitude, for being a peacemaker. These are people who are at the service of the population," he said. "There was no strategic objective, there were no jihadists in this church. There were families, there were civilians. This is totally unacceptable and we condemn in the strongest possible terms this attitude on the part of Israel." More than 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for Gaza's population, displacing most residents at least once and triggering severe shortages of food and other essentials. The war was triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 58,573 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Saudi Arabia condemns deadly Israeli strike on Gaza church
Saudi Arabia on Thursday condemned an Israeli strike on a church in Gaza, denouncing Israel's attacks on civilians and places of worship. 'These repeated assaults in the region require a serious international stance to end the crimes of the Israeli occupation, which threaten regional security and stability,' the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement. The Kingdom called on the international community – particularly the UN Security Council – to hold Israel accountable and to 'activate international accountability mechanisms for these violations.' An Israeli strike on Gaza's sole Catholic Church killed three people and injured several others, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the small parish, said on Thursday. The Patriarchate condemned 'this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place,' saying two women and one man had died in the attack on the Holy Family Church. 'This horrific war must come to a complete end,' it said, adding that the victims had turned to the church compound as a safe haven 'after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away.' The Holy Family Church spoke in a separate statement of 'a number of injured, some in critical condition.' In a telegram for the victims, Pope Leo said he was 'deeply saddened' and called for 'an immediate ceasefire.' The pope expressed his 'profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region,' according to the telegram which was signed by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and made no mention of Israel. The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident. Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement on X that the results of the investigation would be published. It also said the country did not target churches or religious sites and regretted harm to them or civilians. The Patriarchate earlier said the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was among those injured, and his church had sustained damage. Father Romanelli, an Argentine, used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via calls and messages. TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the strike on the religious compound. 'The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude,' she said in a statement.
Sky News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Pope 'deeply saddened' by deaths at sole Catholic church in Gaza after Israeli strike
The Pope has said he is "deeply saddened" by the deaths of three people in an Israeli strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza. A further nine people were wounded when the Gaza's Holy Family Church was hit, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. "On behalf of the entire Church of the Holy Land, we extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families, and from here, we offer our prayers for the swift and full recovery of the wounded," the statement reads. "The Latin Patriarchate strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place. "However, this tragedy is not greater or more terrible than the many others that have befallen Gaza." Parish priest Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentinian who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the conflict in Gaza, was lightly injured in the attack. In a telegram for the victims, Pope Leo said he was "deeply saddened" and called for "an immediate ceasefire". The Pope expressed his "profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region," according to the telegram, which was signed by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the Vatican News website that the church was shelled by a tank. "What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this, they hit the Church directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin Church", he said The church was sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the wounded. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was "aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review". "The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them," the statement added. Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement on X that the results of the investigation would be published. It also said the country did not target churches or religious sites and regretted harm to them or civilians. The previous pope, Francis, spoke almost daily with Gaza church. In the last 18 months of his life, Francis would often call the church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war. At least 20 more people were killed on Thursday by Israeli attacks across the besieged enclave, medics said. Throughout the 21-month war, more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military campaign, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel launched a retaliatory campaign against Hamas following the militant group's 7 October 2023 attacks, during which 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli attack hits Gaza's only Catholic church
Israeli attack hits Gaza's only Catholic church NewsFeed An Israeli attack on Gaza's only Catholic church has killed and injured several people including forcibly displaced Palestinians who were sheltering inside. Video Duration 02 minutes 45 seconds 02:45 Video Duration 02 minutes 49 seconds 02:49 Video Duration 01 minutes 03 seconds 01:03 Video Duration 01 minutes 10 seconds 01:10 Video Duration 00 minutes 33 seconds 00:33 Video Duration 02 minutes 20 seconds 02:20 Video Duration 00 minutes 33 seconds 00:33
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Two dead and several injured after Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church
Two people have been killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church, according to church officials. A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. The Holy Family Church is the only Catholic church inside the besieged Palestinian enclave. "We pray that their souls rest (in peace) and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the church. In a telegram for the victims signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, Pope Leo said he was "deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack." He "assures the parish priest, father Gabriele Romanelli, and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness," the telegram said. The Pope renewed his "call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region." Among those injured was Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine, who used to regularly update Francis about the war ravaging Gaza. He suffered light leg injuries, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said. The church was sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including several children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the wounded. At least two people were in critical condition, and others injured included one child with disabilities, two women, and an elderly person, Mr Naem said. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem added that the church had sustained damage. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the attack. She wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'Israeli raids on Gaza also hit the Holy Family Church. 'The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such behaviour.' A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it was 'aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review.' 'The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them,' its statement added. The church is just a stone's throw from Al-Ahli Hospital, Mr Naem said, noting that the area around both the church and the hospital has been repeatedly struck for over a week. Only 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. In the last 18 months of his life, Francis would often call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war. Francis called the only Catholic church in the strip hours after the war in Gaza began in October 2023. It marked the start of what the Vatican News Service would describe as a nightly routine throughout the war.
