Latest news with #HolyLand
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Top Catholic cleric says Gaza humanitarian situation ‘morally unacceptable'
JERUSALEM: The Roman Catholic church's most senior cleric in the Holy Land said Tuesday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was 'morally unacceptable,' after visiting the war-torn 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. 'It's morally unacceptable and unjustified,' he added.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Top Catholic cleric says Gaza humanitarian situation ‘morally unacceptable'
The Roman Catholic church's most senior cleric in the Holy Land said Tuesday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was 'morally unacceptable,' after visiting the war-torn 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. 'It's morally unacceptable and unjustified,' he added.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Christian leaders make rare visit to Gaza following deadly Israeli church attack
Leaders from the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Church visited Gaza's only Catholic church on Friday, where a day earlier three people were killed in an Israeli strike. The visit is highly unusual given Israel's tight control over access in and out of the territory. Israel says it 'deeply regrets' the incident, blaming stray ammunition for the strike. An investigation is underway. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited the enclave to show their support for Gaza's Catholics, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The two expressed 'the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza,' the Patriarchate - which has jurisdiction for Roman Catholics in Gaza - said. They brought in food aid and medical supplies to the territory, which is facing a humanitarian crisis. The Patriarchate also said the leaders ensured those injured in the Israeli attack would be evacuated outside Gaza for treatment. The church in Gaza has become a shelter for the enclave's tiny Christian community and others during the conflict. Some 600 people, most of them children, were given refuge in the church before it was struck, the Patriarchate said in a statement Thursday. Pope Leo received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, in which the pontiff expressed the importance of protecting places of worship, the Vatican said. During the call, Leo renewed his calls for a ceasefire to be reached by the warring sides in Gaza. Pope Leo 'again expressed his concern for the dramatic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose heartbreaking price is paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick,' according to the statement. Netanyahu's office confirmed the call, saying that the Israeli leader 'expressed Israel's regret for the tragic incident' and that he offered his 'heartfelt condolences' to the families of the victims of the strike. There has been international condemnation of the attack, including from key Israeli ally the US, which comes at a time when there has been no let up in the offensive in Gaza. Nearly 59,000 people have died during the conflict, the Palestinian health ministry says, and ceasefire talks remain deadlocked. Dr. Fadl Naim, Director of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, asked why those injured in the attack were able to leave when others are barred. 'Is it an attempt to polish the image of the occupation, or a discriminatory act — treating the wounded differently based on religion?' he asked on X. 'What about the tens of thousands of injured Palestinians who are denied their basic right to travel for treatment?' This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN's Dana Karni contributed to this report.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Top church leaders meet in Gaza as Israel strikes kill several in Khan Younis
Top church leaders in Jerusalem have met in Gaza on Friday in a rare solidarity visit to the territory one day after an Israeli shell slammed into its only Catholic church, killing three people. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III entered Gaza to express the "shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land," a statement released by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said. The patriarchs and their delegation arrived at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza in the afternoon. As well as the three people killed in the strike, 10 were wounded, including the parish priest The delegation was also planning on sending hundreds of tons of food aid, medical supplies and equipment to families inside Gaza, the patriarchate said, adding they also had "ensured evacuation" of individuals injured in the attack to hospitals outside Gaza. The attack drew condemnation from world leaders and religious figures. Pope Leo XIV on Thursday renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in response to the attack. US President Donald Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express his frustration. Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating it. The visit by religious leaders on marked a rare entrance to the territory by a delegation of outsiders. With the exception of a trickle of aid workers and a small number of Palestinians needing medical care outside the territory, very few have been able to enter or exit Gaza since the start of Israel's latest offensive in May. At the time of the strike, the church compound 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 casualties. The Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem said the parish's 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old woman receiving psychosocial support inside a Caritas tent in the church compound were killed in the attack. Parish priest Gabriel Romanelli was lightly wounded. "The Latin Patriarchate remains steadfast in its commitment to the Christian community and the entire population of Gaza. They will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned," read the statement from Caritas. Mr Netanyahu released a statement saying Israel "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church". The Israeli military said an initial assessment indicated that "fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly". It said it was still investigating. At least 14 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Friday, in Gaza, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. The emergency service said fighter jets conducted air strikes and there was artillery shelling and gunfire in the early morning in areas north of the southern city of Khan Younis. Agency official Mohammed al-Mughayyir said 10 people were killed in two separate strikes in the Khan Younis area, with one hitting a house and the other tents sheltering displaced people. In Gaza's north, four people were killed in an air strike in the Jabalia al-Nazla area, he added. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas meant the AFP news agency was unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which asked for exact coordinates to look into the reports. Palestinian Bedouins accused Israeli settlers on Friday of killing 117 sheep in an overnight attack and stealing hundreds of others in an apparent effort to chase farmers off their land in the occupied West Bank. The incident comes amid what the United Nations described this week as intensifying attacks by Jewish settlers and security forces against Palestinians in the West Bank and record mass displacements. The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment about the mass slaughter of the animals belonging to the Arab al-Kaabaneh Bedouin community, in the Jordan Valley. Veterinarians were called in to treat a handful of sheep which had survived the knife and gun attack, some of the animals shaking uncontrollably and in apparent shock. Reuters was unable to independently verify who was responsible for the attack. Palestinian Minister Moayad Shaaban condemned the incident, calling it part of a broader strategy to displace Palestinians from the region. "These sheep and animals were slaughtered and shot at," he told Reuters. The attack has prompted at least one family to begin relocating. Bedouin Tareq Kaabaneh said he could no longer withstand what he called settler intimidation. "They were armed, they steal donkeys and sheep. In the night they come here and start shooting toward us," Mr Kaabaneh said. The United Nations reported this week that mass displacements in the West Bank had reached levels unprecedented since Israel first took military control of the territory nearly six decades ago. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva also said there had been 757 settler attacks on Palestinians or their properties since January — a 13 per cent increase from the same period last year. The United Nations' highest court said last year that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, was illegal and should end as soon as possible. The war in Gaza began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. Most of the population of more than 2 million has been displaced, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins. AP/AFP/ Reuters
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Jerusalem church leaders make solidarity visit to Gaza following Israeli strike
Top church leaders in Jerusalem have travelled to Gaza in a rare solidarity visit to the territory one day after an Israeli shell slammed into its only Catholic church , killing three people. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III entered Gaza on Friday morning to express the 'shared pastoral solicitude of the churches of the Holy Land', according to a statement released by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The patriarchs and their delegation arrived at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza in the afternoon. As well as the three people killed in the strike, 10 were wounded, including the resident priest. The church compound was damaged. The delegation was also planning on sending hundreds of tons of food aid, medical supplies and equipment to families inside Gaza, the patriarchate said, adding they also had 'ensured evacuation' of individuals injured in the attack to hospitals outside Gaza. READ MORE The attack drew condemnation from world leaders and religious figures. Pope Leo XIV on Thursday renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in response to the attack and US President Donald Trump called Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to express his frustration. At the time of the strike, the church compound was sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities Israel on Thursday expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating. The visit by religious leaders on Friday marked a rare entrance to the territory by a delegation of outsiders. With the exception of a trickle of aid workers and a small number of Palestinians needing medical care outside the territory, very few have been able to enter or exit Gaza since the start of Israel's latest offensive in May. At the time of the strike, the church compound was sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, acting director of the Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the casualties. The Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem said the parish's 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old woman receiving psychosocial support inside a Caritas tent in the church compound were killed in the attack. Parish priest Gabriel Romanelli was wounded. 'The Latin Patriarchate remains steadfast in its commitment to the Christian community and the entire population of Gaza. They will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned,' read the statement from Caritas. Mr Netanyahu released a statement saying Israel 'deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church'. The Israeli military said an initial assessment indicated that 'fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly'. It said it was still investigating. Israel has repeatedly struck schools, shelters, hospitals and other civilian buildings, accusing Hamas militants of sheltering inside and blaming them for civilian deaths. Palestinians say nowhere has felt safe since Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's attack on October 7th, 2023. Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7th attack and abducted 251 people, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Fifty hostages are still being held, less than half of them believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 58,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but is led by medical professionals. The United Nations and other international organisations consider its figures to be the most reliable count of war casualties. (AP)
