Israeli strike kills three in Gaza Catholic church

An Israeli military strike hit the Compound of the Holy Family in Gaza on Thursday morning, killing three people sheltering there and injuring nine, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said. Parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli was lightly injured, according to the Catholic patriarchate, which owns the compound. The patriarchate’s statement said innocent deaths occur frequently in Gaza and called on world leaders to bring the war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization to an end.

The Caritas Internationalis Catholic charity said the shelling killed the church’s 60-year-old janitor, an 84-year-old woman who was receiving help in a Caritas tent, and another elderly person who was sitting near the woman when shrapnel and debris hit.

Pope Leo XIV expressed deep sorrow at the attack in a statement published through the Jerusalem Patriarchate. He was praying for the consolation of those grieving and for the recovery of the injured, he said. The pope also said he supported an immediate ceasefire in the region.

What did the Israeli government say about the incident? Israel’s foreign ministry on Thursday expressed sorrow at civilian casualties and damage to the church. The Israeli military was investigating what happened and would publish its findings, the ministry said. Israel never intentionally targets churches or religious sites, the ministry said.

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