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The National
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Christian leaders visit Gaza to offer condolences after deadly Israeli attack on church
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.
France 24
18-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Top Holy Land clerics visit Gaza after deadly church strike
The rare visit came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "deeply regrets" the strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and blamed a "stray" round. Israel strictly controls access to the territory, where the civil defence agency on Friday reported that further Israeli strikes killed at least 14 Palestinians across Gaza. The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, headed an "ecclesiastical delegation" to meet local Christians following Thursday's strike on the Holy Family Church, the churches said. The delegation expressed "the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza", the Latin Patriarchate said. "During their stay, the delegation will meet with members of the local Christian community, offer condolences and solidarity, and stand alongside those affected by the recent events," it added. The Jerusalem Patriarchate called it a "powerful expression" of church unity and solidarity. The clerics, who last week travelled to the occupied West Bank after an attack on an ancient Byzantine-era church blamed on Israeli settlers, were joined by diplomatic representatives from more than 20 countries, including Jordan, Russia, China, the EU, Japan, and Canada, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate added. Both churches said the visit had been facilitated with the help of aid agencies and also involved the delivery of food supplies and emergency medical equipment. In Italy, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the delegation arrived with 500 tonnes of aid for local civilians. "The Italian government calls on Israel to stop military actions and to fully guarantee the safety of the two envoys in their important mission," he said in a statement. 'Mistake' Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the world's Catholics, said he was "deeply saddened" by the strike on the church, where hundreds of displaced people were sheltering, including children and those with special needs. His predecessor, Pope Francis, kept in regular contact with parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli and repeatedly called for an end to the Gaza war, which has created a humanitarian crisis for the people living there. Romanelli was one of 10 people injured in the strike and was seen with bandages on his leg. Both Italy and France called the strike "unacceptable" while US President Donald Trump called Netanyahu after having "not a positive reaction" on hearing about it, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic church, that's what the prime minister relayed to the president," she told reporters. The Jerusalem churches, which have jurisdiction for Catholics and members of the Greek Orthodox church across Israel and the Palestinian territories, said they had ensured the medical evacuation of those injured. One was in a critical condition and two others were seriously wounded, the Jerusalem Patriarchate said. 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. Israel's military maintains that it does not deliberately target churches and religious sites. But the Jerusalem Patriarchate said there had been "repeated assaults on Christian holy sites in Gaza". The war was sparked by Palestinian military group Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's military retaliation has killed at least 58,667 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
