Gaza: two dead in a strike on the Catholic church

The civil defense of Gaza and the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem announced Thursday the death of two people in an Israeli strike on the Catholic church alone in Palestinian territory, refuge since the start of the war for this small community.

Israel, at war with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas since October 7, 2023, said “never targeting” religious sites in the Gaza Strip and added that the circumstances in which the Church was damaged were “under exam”.

The Church of Sainte-Famille, located in Gaza-Ville, in the north of the territory, “was struck by a raid this morning,” said the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem, before confirming the results of two dead announced by the Civil Defense.

This church had contacted contacts, since the start of the war, with the former Pope Francis, who died in April, who dialogued regularly by video connection with his parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, and had launched repeated calls to put an end to the conflict.

The priest was injured in the Israeli attack while the church suffered damage.

Pope Leon XIV said he was “deeply saddened” and renewed his call “to an immediate ceasefire”.

Images of AFP show wounded treated in tents, within the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza-Ville. Among them the Romanelli father, wearing a dressing around the leg.

Some injured arrived on stretchers and one of them wore an oxygen mask.

“Aiming a sacred site which houses around 600 displaced people, the majority of whom are children, is a blatant violation of human dignity (…) and the sacred character of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe shelter in time of war,” said patriarchy.

Israel expressed “deep sorrow” for damage and civilian victims, adding that the army was investigating.

“Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any damage to a religious site or to unrescited civilians,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, deemed “unacceptable” this attack “against the civilian population”, which occurred during a new day of bombing which also left 18 dead, according to the Civil Defense, through the Gaza Strip.

“No military action can justify such an attitude,” said Meloni.

The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, denounced “a serious act against a place of Christian worship” and addressed his condolences to the Romanelli father.

The priest, parish priest of the parish of the Sainte-Famille for many years, remained in Gaza alongside some 400 faithful after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The Gaza Strip has about a thousand Christians, a population of more than two million people. Most are Orthodox but, according to the patriarchy, around 135 Catholics live in the Palestinian territory ravaged by 21 months of war.

Since the start of the war, the small community has been sheltered within the church, which has also welcomed Orthodox.

“One wonders if Israel wants Christian communities. We are expecting apologies from the Israeli government, “Mgr Pascal Gollnisch, director of the East work, told AFP, a French association engaged with Eastern Christians.

The war in Gaza was triggered by the unprecedented attack in Hamas in the south of Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to the Israeli side the death of 1219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count made from official data.

At least 58,573 people, mainly civilians, were killed in the Israeli military reprisal campaign, according to data from the Ministry of Health of the Government of Hamas, deemed reliable by the UN.