Netanyahu Hits the Catholic Church in Gaza: Three Dead, Ten Injured 🕊

An Israeli strike hit the only Catholic church in Gaza, killing three people and injuring ten others, including the parish priest Gabriel Romanelli, who used to receive daily calls from the late Pope Francis.

The Catholic charity Caritas Internationalis confirmed the victims:
Saad Salameh, 60, janitor at the Holy Family Church
Fumayya Ayyad, 84, who was receiving psychological support in a Caritas tent when the explosion happened
Najwa abu Daoud, 69, who was sitting near Ayyad at the time of the blast

"We are devastated by this latest attack on people who were simply trying to survive and had found refuge in the church,"

said Alistair Dutton, General Secretary of Caritas Internationalis.

"Their deaths are a painful reminder of the appalling conditions in which besieged civilians and medical personnel live. We mourn the lives lost and call on all parties to respect the sanctity of life and the spaces that protect it." ⚠️

Ibrahim Saqallah, a paramedic at al-Ahli Arab hospital, told the Guardian that about ten people were injured, some seriously, by shrapnel from artillery shells.
"I got into the ambulance and headed straight for the church," he said. "This [Israeli] army is arrogant – it does not distinguish between Christians and Muslims, nor does it care whether it is a church, a mosque, a house or even a school. We are living in the middle of a brutal war." 💥

The bombing of the church also damaged the compound, where hundreds of Palestinians, including children and disabled people, had sought refuge during the 21 months of war.

Israel issued a rare apology and announced an investigation.

Attallah Terzi, a 75-year-old displaced Christian, now living in a school next to the church, described the moment of the blast:
"I had just returned to class after being outside for a few minutes when a massive explosion occurred. It was the first time since the beginning of the war that the sound of an explosion was so intense."

Before his death in April, the former pope used to call Father Romanelli every night. This routine began on October 9, 2023, two days after Hamas launched attacks on Israel that triggered the current war in Gaza.

WSJ images from the hospital showed Romanelli with a

bandaged left leg, but he was still able to walk.
Terzi witnessed a woman killed while helping a man in a wheelchair and another woman whose head was struck by a stone that seemed to have fallen from the church. A young man hit by shrapnel was also injured, and Romanelli tried to help him before being hurt himself. 🩹

Pope Leo XIV expressed in a telegram sent by the Vatican Secretary of State that he was "deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injuries caused by the military attack" and renewed his calls for an immediate ceasefire. ✝️

In a statement, Giorgia Meloni said:
"The Israeli raids on Gaza have also affected the Church of the Holy Family. The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable."

Elizabeth Funnell, Middle East representative of CAFOD, added:
"We once again call on the international community to act urgently to protect civilians, places of worship and humanitarian spaces, and to ensure that the people of Gaza have access to the most fundamental right: the chance to survive."

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