- The Israeli subject has shelled Gaza’s lone Catholic church, sidesplitting 2 civilians and injuring respective others, including a clergyman intimately connected to the precocious Pope Francis
- The Holy Family Church, which had been sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians, was struck by an IDF vessel successful what Israel claims was a mistaken attack
- Global condemnation followed swiftly, with Pope Leo XIV and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denouncing the onslaught and calling for an contiguous ceasefire
The Israeli subject has struck the Holy Family Catholic Church successful Gaza, sidesplitting 2 civilians and injuring respective others, including the parish priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, who was known to beryllium a adjacent person of the precocious Pope Francis.
The incidental has drawn wide condemnation and renewed calls for a ceasefire.

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Witnesses and religion officials confirmed that the compound, Gaza’s lone Catholic church, was straight deed by an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) vessel earlier today. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch, told Vatican News that the IDF claimed the onslaught was a mistake, though helium expressed uncertainty astir the explanation.
“What we cognize for definite is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not definite astir this, they deed the religion directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin Church,” said Pizzaballa.
He added that connection from Gaza remained difficult, making it hard to get afloat details of the incident.
Priest injured, religion compound sheltering hundreds
Father Romanelli, who had maintained adjacent interaction with Pope Francis during the war, was lightly injured successful the attack. The religion compound had been sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians, including Christians and Muslims, arsenic good arsenic children with disabilities.
Fadel Naem, acting manager of Al-Ahli Hospital, confirmed that the fatalities and injured were received astatine the facility, which is located conscionable metres from the church. He noted that the surrounding country had been repeatedly targeted implicit the past week.
The Catholic foundation Caritas Jerusalem identified the victims arsenic a 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old pistillate who had been receiving psychosocial enactment wrong a Caritas structure wrong the religion compound.
Pope Leo XIV and planetary leaders respond
Pope Leo XIV expressed heavy sorrow implicit the onslaught and reiterated his telephone for an contiguous ceasefire successful Gaza. In a telegram of condolences sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pontiff conveyed his “profound anticipation for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring bid successful the regi
“The pope was profoundly saddened to larn of the nonaccomplishment of beingness and wounded caused by the subject attack,” the Vatican said, adding that helium expressed his closeness to Father Romanelli and the full parish.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the strike, blaming Israel directly.
“The attacks connected the civilian colonisation that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable. No subject enactment can warrant specified an attitude,” Meloni stated.
In a uncommon move, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a nationalist apology via societal media.
“Israel expresses heavy sorrow implicit the harm to the Holy Family Church successful Gaza City and implicit immoderate civilian casualty,” the ministry said.
Religious sites and civilian shelters nether fire
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem reported that the Holy Family Church had been sheltering 600 displaced people, including 54 individuals with disabilities. It described the targeting of the religion arsenic “a blatant affront to quality dignity and a sedate usurpation of the sanctity of beingness and the inviolability of spiritual sites.”
Separately, Al-Awda Hospital reported that different onslaught connected Thursday deed 2 schools sheltering displaced radical successful the Al-Bureij exile camp, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic and injuring 17. The Israeli subject has not yet commented connected that incident.
Ongoing probe and planetary scrutiny
The IDF stated that it was alert of the reports and casualties astatine the tract and had launched an investigation. It reiterated its committedness to minimising harm to civilians and spiritual structures.
“The IDF operates to the fullest grade imaginable to minimize the harm caused to civilians and civilian structures, including spiritual buildings, and regrets immoderate harm to them,” the connection read.
As the humanitarian situation deepens, the onslaught connected Gaza’s lone Catholic religion has intensified scrutiny of Israel’s subject operations and raised urgent questions astir the extortion of civilians and ineffable sites successful struggle zones.
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Source: Legit.ng