The latest from AP:
Two people were killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church on Thursday morning, according to church officials. Several other people, including the parish priest, were injured.
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. The Israeli military said it is aware of the incident and is investigating.
From OSV News:
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed the injuries and damage to the church in a brief morning statement. It said it would provide additional details as they were confirmed.
“The Holy Family Church in Gaza has been struck by a raid this morning,” the July 17 first statement said.
In a later statement, the patriarchate expressed its “deepest condemnation” of the attack, saying it was 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.”
The statement emphasized that the bombing had destroyed large parts of the complex, forcing those with special medical needs to evacuate the area, some without the respirators they need to survive, endangering their lives.
Despite sustaining a light leg injury, parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli was shown placing his hand on the forehead of an injured man being carried out on a stretcher in a video broadcast by the Al-Arabiya TV station as he was accompanied by two men — one of whom was holding a bandage to the side of his face.
Father Romanelli was also transferred to the Al-Ahli Arab hospital for treatment, according to Reuters, but left after receiving care.
UPDATE: From Vatican News…
Pope Leo XIV has renewed his calls for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza following a military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Parish.
In a telegram signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State on his behalf, the Holy Father expressed deep sorrow for the loss of life and for the injuries caused by the attack.
He also conveyed his spiritual closeness to the parish priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli—who was injured during the attack—as well as to the entire parish community.
The Pope commended the souls of the deceased to the “loving mercy of Almighty God” and offered prayers for the recovery of the injured and the consolation of those who grieve.
Finally, he renewed his appeal for peace and for a ceasefire, and expressed his “profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation, and enduring peace in the region.”
