Two dead after Israeli airstrike hits Gaza’s only Catholic church

An Israeli airstrike hit Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing two people and wounding several others, including the priest who spoke to Pope Francis every day for the last 18 months before his death.

A shell struck the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza on Wednesday, which has been serving as a shelter for hundreds of Palestinians amid the war.

Among the injured was Rev. Gabriele Romanelli, the man who took the late pontiff’s phone calls every day to update him on the situation in Gaza, according to the Vatican.

Since the war began following Hamas’ terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the church compound has taken in more than 600 Christians and Muslims living in Gaza, including dozens of children with disabilities, according to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The Christian church said the building had suffered significant damage.

Targeting the building “is a blatant affront to human dignity and a grave violation of the sanctity of life and the inviolability of religious sites, which are meant to serve as safe havens during times of war,” the Jerusalem-based church said in a statement.

Pope Leo XIV said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack″ and reaffirmed that the Vatican remains close to Romanelli and those taking refuge at the church.

The American pope once again called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, where Israel and Hamas forces have fought for 650 days, with the current peace talks bearing no fruit.

The Holy Family Catholic Church’s 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old woman were the latest casualties in the war, according to the Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the dead and injured.

Fadel Naem, the hospital’s acting director, said both the areas around the church and medical center have been struck repeatedly in the last week.  

While the Israeli military has defended bombing civilian infrastructure as a necessity to rout out Hamas, the Jewish state’s foreign minister issued a rare apology after the church was hit.

“Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was also aware of the damage and is currently investigating the strike.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni slammed Israel for the deadly shelling, describing the attack on the church as emblematic of its bombardment campaign across Gaza that continues to claim civilian lives.

“The attacks on the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude,” she said.

With Post wires