The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has shelled the only Catholic church in Gaza, reportedly killing three people and injuring several more, prompting Pope Leo XIV to send a telegram to the parish expressing his condolences. West Jerusalem has acknowledged the deadly incident, attributing it to “stray ammunition.”
Israel has already drawn international censure for the destruction left by its conflict with Hamas and other militant groups in the Palestinain enclave, which has left 92% of homes there damaged or destroyed, according to a May, 2025 UNRWA statement.
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Pope Leo XIV said in a telegram sent by church officials that he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack.”
He called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, as quoted by the Vatican News. In a statement on Thursday, the Catholic charity Caritas Internationalis said that the church served as a shelter for displaced civilians, “who were simply trying to survive.”
The organization called for an end to “attacks on civilians, especially those seeking refuge in churches, other places of worship and clearly marked humanitarian spaces.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement, quoting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that Israel “deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church.”
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The diplomats noted that the incident is being investigated, with Israel being supposedly “committed to protecting civilians and holy sites.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told the Vatican News website that the Holy Family Church was “directly” hit by a tank shell.
In a post on its Telegram channel, Hamas slammed the Israeli attack as a “new crime committed against places of worship and innocent displaced persons.”
Israeli strikes across Gaza on Thursday alone killed at least 32 Palestinians, Al Jazeera wrote, citing local medical sources.
In October 2023, just days after the conflict broke out, the Israeli army similarly bombed the Church of Saint Porphyrius, killing at least 18 people.