Editor’s Note: Since the Israeli invasion of Gaza in October 2023, Holy Family Catholic and St. Porphyrios Greek Orthodox churches have been sheltering displaced Gazans of all religions. CNEWA has been supporting the two parishes with aid packages as well as funds for programs for psychosocial support. In addition to its mother and child health care programs in Gaza, CNEWA also supports Al-Ahli Hospital.
JERUSALEM (OSV News) — Three people were confirmed dead and several injured, including the parish pastor, following a mid-morning Israeli tank attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza on 17 July.
The chief executive officer of the Latin Patriarchate, Sami El-Yousef, told OSV News early in the morning that the injured had been transferred to the Al-Ahli Hospital, later adding that two of the injured, Saad Salameh and Fumia Ayyad, died of their wounds and would be buried later today at St. Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church. Details regarding the third person who has died are not yet available.
Pope Leo XIV sent a message to the patriarchate, assuring the “whole parish community of his spiritual closeness.” He offered prayers for those who grieve and for recovery of the injured, and he renewed his call for an immediate cease-fire and “hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region.”
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed the injuries and damage to the church in a brief morning statement. “The Holy Family Church in Gaza has been struck by a raid this morning,” the first statement said.
In a later statement, the patriarchate expressed its “deepest condemnation” of the attack, saying it was a “flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe haven in times of war.”
The statement emphasized the bombing had destroyed large parts of the complex, forcing those with special medical needs to evacuate the area, some without the respirators they need to survive, endangering their lives.
“At this critical moment, the patriarchate affirms that churches are spiritual and humanitarian beacons, serving everyone without discrimination,” the statement said. “It also calls on the international community and United Nations agencies to provide urgent protection for religious institutions and humanitarian centers in the Gaza Strip and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, which criminalizes the targeting of civilians and places of worship.”
In a statement posted on X, Israel Defense Forces said it is “aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review.”
Despite sustaining a light leg injury, the Rev. Gabriel Romanelli was shown placing his hand on the forehead of an injured man being carried out on a stretcher in a video broadcast by the Al-Arabiya TV station as he was accompanied by two men — one of whom was holding a bandage to the side of his face.
Photos show part of the church’s roof next to the cross blown away by the tank fire with burned marks down the wall, and windows, shattered.
“The explosion occurred near the cross on the church roof, scattering shrapnel and debris across the yard,” said Caritas Jerusalem in a statement, adding that the church was “struck by a shell.”
Two elderly women had been sitting inside the Caritas psychosocial support tent when they were injured, the statement said. Three young people standing at the entrance of the church were also seriously injured, according to the statement.
Caritas added that Father Romanelli had been urging people to stay inside their rooms over the past week as the fighting in the area intensified.
“If Father Gabriel hadn’t warned us to stay indoors, we could have lost 50 to 60 people today. It would have been a massacre,” the statement quoted one of “our Caritas colleagues.”
“Yesterday, the threat became especially severe due to the presence of Israeli tanks near the church compound and continuous strikes in close proximity.”
Prior to the July 17 attack, the parish priest of Gaza’s tiny Christian community admitted in a recent Vatican News interview that his flock was exhausted by war and a severe lack of food.
This is a developing story.