An Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church killed at least two people Thursday, according to the territory’s civil defense agency and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, prompting Italy’s prime minister to condemn the attack on civilians as “unacceptable.”
The raid came as Gaza's civil defense agency reported that Israeli strikes killed 18 people across the Palestinian territory Thursday.
"The Holy Family Church in Gaza has been struck by a raid this morning. There are several injuries in the place, including the Parish Priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli," Jerusalem's Latin Patriarchate said in a statement.
It added that no fatalities had been confirmed but that the church had sustained damage.
Gaza's civil defence spokesperson, Mahmud Bassal, told Agence France-Press (AFP) that a strike on the Catholic church resulted in injuries, including the priest.
The Israeli military said it was "looking into it" when contacted by AFP.
I raid israeliani su Gaza colpiscono anche la chiesa della Sacra Famiglia. Sono inaccettabili gli attacchi contro la popolazione civile che Israele sta portando avanti da mesi. Nessuna azione militare può giustificare un tale atteggiamento.
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) July 17, 2025
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that "Israeli strikes on Gaza have also hit the Holy Family Church," a parish in Gaza City with which the late Pope Francis had regular contact throughout the war.
"The attacks against the civilian population carried out by Israel for months are unacceptable," Meloni said in a post on X.
"No military action can justify such behavior."
Out of the Gaza Strip's population of more than 2 million, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox, but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.
Since the early days of the war, which erupted in October 2023, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City and some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge there.
Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war. In his final Easter message, a day before his death on April 21, he condemned the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in the Palestinian territory.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday denounced "a serious act against a Christian place of worship."
"I offer my sincere condolences to Father Romanelli, who was wounded in the raid," he posted on X.
Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, the head of Catholic charity l'Oeuvre d'Orient, told AFP the raid was "totally unacceptable."
"It is a place of worship. It is a Catholic church known for its peaceful attitude, for being a peacemaker. These are people who are at the service of the population," he said.
"There was no strategic objective, there were no ... in this church. There were families, there were civilians. This is totally unacceptable and we condemn in the strongest possible terms this attitude on the part of Israel."
More than 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for Gaza's population, displacing most residents at least once and triggering severe shortages of food and other essentials.
The war was triggered the October 2023 Hamas incursion, which caused 1,219 deaths, according to official figures.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, in comparison, has killed at least 58,573 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.
