Latest news with #HolyFamilyChurch
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
IDF: Artillery misfire led to mistaken hit of Gaza church, no punishments for soldiers involved
The incident has led the Catholic Church and many Western allies of Israel to condemn the IDF as having a negligent lack of control over its forces in Gaza. The Holy Family Church in Gaza City was hit by a misfired artillery shell last Thursday, according to an initial probe, the IDF reported Wednesday. Three people were killed and several others were wounded in the incident. Photos showed the church's roof was hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade and shattering windows. The incident led the Catholic Church and many of Israel's Western allies to condemn the IDF for being negligent in Gaza. The awry strike was caused by a malfunction in the munition and artillery mechanisms and not by human error, the IDF said. The IDF statement did not say any of the soldiers would be punished, as has been the case in other instances when aid workers were mistakenly killed. The IDF did not elaborate about what had led to the malfunction or whether similar mistakes have occurred in the past without being reported. Lessons had been learned to adjust artillery open-fire rules when attacks are taking place within a certain proximity to sensitive sites, the IDF said. The significance of the IDF's statement remained unclear, however, given that for the past 21 months, Israel has had to act in Gaza in close proximity to sensitive sites. IDF sources say military firing procedures have become more aggressive in recent months In recent months, since Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor assumed command of Southern Command, open-fire procedures have been more aggressive and shown less restraint than during the previous 18 months of the war, some IDF sources have said. Asor denies the charges and says he fully probes all relevant incidents. The IDF said it had allowed special visits to examine the church area to show transparency and facilitate medical care for the victims. The IDF apologized for the mishap. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously apologized to the Catholic Church. Solve the daily Crossword
NBC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
IDF says strike on Gaza's only Catholic church was an accident following investigation
The Israeli military says its forces "accidentally" hit Gaza 's only Catholic church last week following a probe into a strike that killed three people and injured nine others, including a parish priest who was a close friend of the late Pope Francis. The deadly strike on July 17 drew international condemnation, including from the Vatican, with Pope Leo XIV calling for an end to the 'barbarity of war." President Donald Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the mortar strike, with his administration calling for an investigation into the incident. "Everyone is appalled," White House spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at the time. Netanyahu's office subsequently expressed regret over the strike, while the Israeli military said they would conduct an investigation. On Wednesday, it announced that the Southern Command had completed its inquiry the day before, determining that troops had struck the church "due to an unintentional deviation of munitions," in line with their preliminary statement that the strike was accidental. The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged that the impact of the strike "caused damage to the structure" of the church and "injured several Gazan civilians." It did not acknowledge that three people were killed in the incident, according to church officials. The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on why the fatalities were not mentioned. In an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper shortly after the strike, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, expressed doubts over Israel's initial statements which called the incident a mistake. 'We are not a target. They say it was an error. Even if everybody here believes it wasn't,' Pizzaballa said. The late Pope Francis had made near-nightly calls to the Holy Family Church throughout the war in Gaza and up until the days before his death in April, speaking with parish priest, Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, who was injured in last week's attack. The IDF said adjustments had been made to 'improve the accuracy of fire' during the operation in which the church was struck — and that following the incident, 'guidelines for opening fire near religious buildings, shelters, and other sensitive sites were further clarified.' Asked for further information on what adjustments had been made and how guidelines were further clarified, an IDF spokesperson said they would not elaborate beyond the initial statement. Throughout the war in Gaza, civilians have frequently been killed in strikes impacting civilian buildings and shelters, including religious sites. Last week's incident was also not the first time the Holy Family Church has come under attack. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem accused Israeli forces of fatally shooting a mother and daughter as they walked inside its grounds in December 2023. Francis condemned the attack at the time. Israeli officials denied responsibility. The IDF sought to emphasize Wednesday that it had facilitated the transfer of aid to the Holy Family Church, in addition to coordinating the visit of a delegation on behalf of the Greek and Latin Patriarchs, who were accompanied by a group of Christian clergy. Pizzaballa was among those to make the rare and dangerous trip, with Israel having sealed off the enclave to visits from foreign officials. The IDF's completion of its probe and the release of its findings were markedly swift, with the military still yet to release the results of a growing number of investigations since the start of the war in Gaza. Israel launched its assault following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Since then, more than 59,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave, while much of the territory has been destroyed.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Cardinal calls Israel's policy in Gaza ‘morally unjustifiable' after visit
Israel's government is pursuing an 'unacceptable and morally unjustifiable' policy in Gaza, the Catholic Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said after visiting a church in the territory that was attacked by Israeli forces last week and meeting survivors. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said he witnessed extreme hunger on the brief trip, his first into Gaza this year, and described Israeli blocks on food and medical shipments as a 'sentence' for starving Palestinians. 'Humanitarian aid is not only necessary, it is a matter of life and death,' he told journalists in Jerusalem after the visit. 'Every hour without food, water, medicine and shelter causes deep harm.' Pizzaballa travelled to Gaza with the Greek Orthodox patriarch Theophilos III, in a show of cross-denominational solidarity after the attack on the Holy Family church that killed three people and injured nine others including the priest, Gabriel Romanelli, who used to receive daily calls from the late Pope Francis. The cardinal accused Israel's government of pursuing a war without justification, and warned against plans to force Palestinians to leave the territory, which are backed by much of the Israeli cabinet. 'We need to say with frankness and clarity that this policy of the Israeli government in Gaza is unacceptable and morally we cannot justify it,' he said. 'There can be no future based on captivity, displacement of Palestinians or revenge.' After international pressure over the attack on the church, including from Donald Trump, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called the pope to express 'regret' for the attack, which he said was caused by 'stray ammunition'. Some Catholic leaders have questioned that explanation, which the Vatican's top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said 'can legitimately be doubted' in an interview with Italy's state broadcaster. Asked whether he thought Israeli forces had targeted the church, Pizzaballa said he did not have the military expertise to assess the damage, but regardless of intention, Christians had repeatedly been attacked and killed by Israeli forces. 'Gaza is almost totally destroyed, and nobody is exempted,' he said. 'This is not the first time it happened. There was also [attacks on] the Holy Family and St Porphyrius in the first weeks of the war. And every time it was a mistake.' Israel has issued evacuation orders for the areas surrounding the two compounds where Gaza's Christians have taken shelter during the war, but the community of about 560 people does not intend to leave. 'They know very well that we are determined to remain,' Pizzaballa said when asked whether the Christians would follow the evacuation orders. In the months since his last visit, at the end of last year, destruction of whole neighbourhoods had left parts of Gaza City unrecognizable, Pizzaballa said. Neighbourhoods around the Christian-run al-Ahli hospital, which the clerics visited, were 'totally erased' he said, reduced to rubble. Inside the hospital wards the delegation met doctors and nurses who described patients too malnourished to heal, and met victims of other attacks. Pizzaballa sounded emotional as he described speaking to a father keeping watch at the bedside of his blind, badly injured son, the only survivor of his six children. 'It was difficult to bear,' he said of the meeting. Hunger is everywhere, Pizzaballa said, describing long queues of people waiting hours in the sun, in hope of something to eat as 'a humiliation that is hard to bear when you see it with your own eyes'. Israel authorised church authorities to take 500 tonnes of aid into Gaza after the attack on the Holy Family. The complex logistics meant the food could not cross the border with the delegation, but people are so hungry that news of the planned delivery brought crowds to the church and even members of the congregation had to be shown proof their leaders had come empty-handed. The community is surviving on small rations of mostly bread and rice, and told Pizzaballa that they had not eaten meat, fruit or vegetables since February. He called for an end to the war and said the Christian community saw it as 'our moral duty to be part of reconciliation' when peace comes. 'After almost two years of war I think everyone starts thinking and arrives at the conclusion that it is about time to stop it.'
Roya News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
Top Catholic cleric says Gaza humanitarian situation 'morally unacceptable'
The Roman Catholic church's most senior cleric in the Holy Land said Tuesday the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "morally unacceptable", after visiting the war-battered Palestinian territory. "We have seen men holding out in the sun for hours in the hope of a simple meal," Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa told a news conference in Jerusalem. "It's morally unacceptable and unjustified," he added. Pizzaballa said the Church and "the entire Christian community, will never abandon" Gazans, repeating what he had told Christians in Gaza during his visit. He specified that his mission applied not only to a specific group but to all. Pizzaballa and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, made a rare visit to Gaza on Friday after 'Israeli' fire hit the Holy Family Church, Gaza's only Catholic church, killing three people. "Three people died of our community, but thousands of people already died in Gaza," Pizzaballa said, adding that the entire Palestinian people was affected in Gaza by the ongoing war, as well as in the West Bank which he recently visited to denounce Israeli settler violence. Though the Italian foreign ministry announced Pizzaballa had entered Gaza with 500 tonnes of aid, Pizzaballa said the aid had not yet entered Gaza due to logistical issues. Pizzaballa and Theophilos III reported meeting people in Gaza whose faces were emaciated from hunger, at a time when finding food in the Palestinian territory has become nearly impossible. Pizzaballa, who has previously advocated for an end to the war in Gaza, said that he had witnessed unprecedented levels of destruction in comparison to his last visit in December.
GMA Network
22-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Top Catholic cleric Pizzaballa: Gaza situation ‘morally unacceptable'
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa attends a press conference after a trip to Gaza where he visited a church shelled by Israel, in Jerusalem, July 22, 2025. REUTERS/ Ammar Awad JERUSALEM, Undefined — The Roman Catholic church's most senior cleric in the Holy Land said Tuesday the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "morally unacceptable," after visiting the war-battered Palestinian territory. "We have seen men holding out in the sun for hours in the hope of a simple meal," Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa told a news conference in Jerusalem. "It's morally unacceptable and unjustified," he added. Pizzaballa said the Church and "the entire Christian community, will never abandon" Gazans, repeating what he had told Christians in Gaza during his visit. He specified that his mission applied not only to a specific group but to all. Pizzaballa and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, made a rare visit to Gaza on Friday after Israeli fire hit the Holy Family Church, Gaza's only Catholic church, killing three people. "Three people died of our community, but thousands of people already died in Gaza," Pizzaballa said, adding that the entire Palestinian people was affected in Gaza by the ongoing war, as well as in the West Bank which he recently visited to denounce Israeli settler violence. Though the Italian foreign ministry announced Pizzaballa had entered Gaza with 500 tonnes of aid, Pizzaballa said the aid had not yet entered Gaza due to logistical issues. Pizzaballa and Theophilos III reported meeting people in Gaza whose faces were emaciated from hunger, at a time when finding food in the Palestinian territory has become nearly impossible. Pizzaballa, who has previously advocated for an end to the war in Gaza, said that he had witnessed unprecedented levels of destruction in comparison to his last visit in December. Pizzaballa said he acknowledged the efforts of "many parts of the Israeli society" that helped with deliveries, but said that "this [war] policy of the Israeli government in Gaza is unacceptable." Known as a supporter of interfaith dialogue, Pizzaballa said he as praying for the liberation of people taken hostage during Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023. He also said he hoped for a free press access to Gaza, with foreign journalists barred from entry since the start of the war save for a few visits embedded with Israel's military. — Agence France-Presse
