An Israeli airstrike hit Gaza’s only Catholic church on Thursday, killing two people, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has confirmed, as Israel expressed regret over civilian casualties and reiterated its policy of not targeting religious sites.
The strike on the Holy Family Church compound occurred amid ongoing Israeli bombardments across Gaza, which Gaza’s civil defence agency said claimed at least 20 lives on the same day.
“With deep sorrow, the Latin Patriarchate can now confirm that two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning,” the church 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.”
The church compound had been sheltering around 600 displaced civilians, including 54 people with special needs, according to the patriarchate, which oversees Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, and Cyprus. The statement condemned the attack as “a flagrant violation of human dignity and the sanctity of life and religious sites.”
Images from AFP showed injured individuals receiving treatment at Al-Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, in Gaza City. Parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli was seen with a bandage on his leg.
Israeli authorities said they were investigating the incident and extended condolences over the deaths.
“Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X (formerly Twitter).
Pope Leo XIV expressed deep sorrow over the attack, while Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, head of Catholic charity L’Oeuvre d’Orient, denounced the strike as “totally unacceptable.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also condemned the attack, describing it as a grave assault on a Christian place of worship.
Gaza is home to about 1,000 Christians out of a population of over two million, most of whom are Orthodox. The Latin Patriarchate estimates there are roughly 135 Catholics in the enclave, many of whom had taken shelter in the Holy Family Church since the war began in October 2023.
Pope Francis, who maintained regular contact with Gaza’s Catholic community, had repeatedly called for an end to the war, describing the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “deplorable” in his final Easter message before his death on April 21.
According to the Gaza health ministry, over 58,573 Palestinians—mostly civilians—have been killed since Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which left 1,219 people dead in Israel.
