Israel strikes only Catholic Church in Gaza Strip; two killed, several wounded
Iran Press TV
Thursday, 17 July 2025 10:30 AM
An Israeli attack on the only Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip has left two people dead and several others injured.
Two women were killed and several people were injured following the strike on the Catholic parish in Gaza, doctors at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City said on Thursday.
According to the Latin Patriarchate of al-Quds, the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza was struck on Thursday morning.
Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest, and several others at the church sustained injuries in the attack, it said.
The church was also damaged in the Israeli forces attack, it added.
The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church inside the Palestinian territory, and Father Romanelli had used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli war on Gaza.
According to reports by Italy's ANSA news agency, the six people wounded had sustained serious injuries in the attack.
However, the priest reportedly suffered light leg injuries.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday slammed the deadly attack by Israeli regime forces targeting Gaza's Catholic Church.
Meloni said Israel's months-long genocidal campaign against civilian targets is "unacceptable."
"Israeli raids on Gaza also hit the Holy Family Church. The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable," Meloni wrote on X.
The Italian leader asserted that there can be no justification for Israeli attacks against civilians in Gaza.
In addition to daily attacks against Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, the Israeli regime forces have slapped a tight siege on the territory, cutting food, fuel and water to the region.
Meanwhile, Israel has also slapped tight restrictions on relief efforts, putting a ban on the entry of international humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In Palestine, both Gaza and the West Bank host Christians from different denominations.
The holy city of Al-Quds is revered by the three major religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Each religion has multiple religious sites located within the Old City.
In Al-Quds, there are churches representing a variety of Christian denominations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Armenian, Coptic, and Protestant.
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