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| Foto:The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip |
VISTORBELITUNG.COM,Gaza City, Gaza Strip – The Israeli military has stated that a tank shell that struck the Holy Family Catholic Church compound in Gaza, resulting in multiple casualties, was an "accidental" incident. The strike, which occurred on Insert Date of most recent attack - e.g., Thursday, July 17, 2025 based on search results for "Holy Family Catholic Church Gaza casualties December 2023", killed three people and wounded several others, including the parish priest, according to church officials and medical sources.
The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, has served as a sanctuary for hundreds of displaced Palestinians, including Christians and Muslims, and a number of children with disabilities, throughout the ongoing conflict. The compound had been explicitly signaled as a place of worship and refuge since the beginning of the war, which escalated following the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel.
Among those killed in the latest incident were a 60-year-old parish janitor and an 84-year-old woman who was receiving psychosocial support within a Caritas tent on the church grounds. The parish priest, Father Romanelli, sustained light injuries.
The Israeli military, in its statement, expressed "deep regret" over the incident, stating that an initial assessment indicated that "fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly." They added that they are investigating the circumstances and are committed to mitigating harm to civilians and religious structures.
However, this is not the first time the Holy Family Church compound has been targeted. In December 2023, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem reported that an Israeli sniper shot and killed a mother and daughter as they walked to a convent within the Holy Family Parish compound. Seven more people were reportedly shot and wounded while trying to protect others. The Patriarchate condemned these earlier acts as "cold-blooded murder" and stated that a tank also fired rockets at a Missionaries of Charity convent within the church compound at that time, rendering it uninhabitable.
The recent attack has drawn swift international condemnation. Pope Leo XIV expressed being "deeply saddened" and renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that "the attacks on the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable," while Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called it "a serious act against a Christian place of worship." The White House also indicated that President Donald Trump had a "not positive reaction" to the strike, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly telling Trump it was a mistake.
The repeated targeting of civilian structures, including religious sites and shelters, has intensified concerns about the safety of non-combatants in Gaza, where a severe humanitarian crisis persists with widespread displacement and acute shortages of essential supplies. Palestinian officials and international bodies continue to urge for the protection of civilians and accountability for actions that violate international humanitarian law.