Israeli Strike on a Gaza Church Kills Three

An Israeli strike hit a Catholic church in Gaza City on Thursday, killing three people and injuring at least six others, including the parish priest, according to church officials.

Several hundred Palestinians were sheltering at the Holy Family Catholic Church compound when the church roof was hit around 10:10 a.m., sending shrapnel and debris flying. Farid Jubran, a spokesman for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said it was unclear whether the munition that struck was dropped from an airplane or fired by a tank.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its official X account that Israel “expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City” and that the Israeli military was “examining this incident.”

There has been no significant progress this week in the Israel-Hamas negotiations over a new U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal. Israel has continued its relentless assault on the Gaza Strip, which it says is aimed at incapacitating Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has long ruled the enclave.

More than 7,750 Palestinians have been killed since the previous cease-fire collapsed in March, with around 100 confirmed dead in hospitals across the territory in just the past few days, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its casualty counts. Some were killed while searching for food at distribution sites.

In total, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war that began with a Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The fighting has created a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where hunger is widespread and many residents are struggling to find food, water and shelter.
After the strike on the church in Gaza City, Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called the Israeli attacks on civilians in the strip “unacceptable,” adding that “no military action can justify such conduct.”
Among those injured in the strike was the church’s parish priest, Gabriel Romanelli, who regularly updated Pope Francis on events in Gaza — almost every evening during the pontiff’s final year, according to Mr. Jubran.

Saad Salameh, 60, the church’s janitor, was said to be in the yard when the strike hit, and Fumayya Ayyad was in a tent within the compound, according to Caritas Jerusalem, a Catholic aid organization operating at the church. Both died within hours.

The other person killed was identified as Najwa Abu Daoud.

Ameera Harouda and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed reporting.