Israeli strike on Gaza church sheltering displaced civilians may constitute war crime: UN Rights Office
Iran Press TV
Saturday, 19 July 2025 9:52 AM
The United Nations Human Rights Office in Geneva has announced that the Israeli strike on a church in the Gaza Strip sheltering displaced Palestinians may constitute a war crime.
The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church in Gaza, came under deadly Israeli attack on Thursday, leaving multiple casualties.
The United Nations rights office called for a probe into the Israeli strike on the Gaza church sheltering internally displaced persons (IDPs), including children and people with disabilities.
On Friday, UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told media that the deadly attack on a religious site hosting displaced civilians by Israeli forces raises concerns of a "serious violation of international law" and may constitute "a war crime."
"A strike hitting a site hosting 600 IDPs clearly appears to violate, at the very least, the principle of precaution in attack and in addition raises concerns of compliance with the principles of distinction and proportionality," Kheetan said.
The UN rights office called for a "thorough, transparent and independent" investigation into the deadly attack.
The attack "raises concerns of possible serious violations of international humanitarian law, especially given a pattern of such attacks on places of worship and other civilian objects since 7 October 2023," he said.
Kheetan pointed out that under international humanitarian law, "all parties to the conflict have obligations ... to take special care to avoid damage to civilian objects, including buildings dedicated to religion, and to historic monuments."
The human rights office is still verifying the details of the deadly Israeli strike, which left more than a dozen casualties, including a parish priest who was among those injured in the attack.
On Friday, leaders from the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches visited the Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, inspecting the scope of the damage from the Israeli attack.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who was accompanied by Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, said the pope personally called him during their visit to the church to express his concern about the attack.
"Pope Leo repeatedly stated that it is time to stop this slaughter, that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims," Pizzaballa told Vatican News.
The pope conveyed his "closeness, care, prayer, support, and desire to do everything possible to achieve not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy," Pizzaballa added.
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