An Israeli tank strike killed three people and injured a priest at the Gaza strip’s only Catholic church on Thursday morning (July 17), with the military saying an initial inquiry found “fragments from a shell” mistakenly hit the structure.
The Rev. Gabriele Romanelli required medical treatment in the incident that took the lives of two women and a man taking shelter at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) post on X later on Thursday stated that the initial inquiry “suggests that fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly.”
The cause of the incident was under review, the IDF stated, asserting that it strikes only military targets and makes “every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and religious structures, and regrets any unintentional damage caused to them.”
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the church, stated that nine people were wounded in the strike, including one in critical condition, and that Romanelli was slightly injured when the church building was “struck by the Israeli army,” according to the BBC.
Israel’s foreign ministry released a statement saying it regretted any harm to a religious site or uninvolved civilians.
Displaced families from the tiny Christian community in Gaza have been living in the church compound since their homes were destroyed in Israel’s military campaign to terminate Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed doubt that the strike was the result of a mistake.
“What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this. They hit the church directly,” he told Vatican News.
Caritas Jerusalem, a charitable group, stated the shell hit the church roof.
“At the time, some individuals were outside the main building, including two elderly women who were sitting inside our Caritas psychosocial support tent,” Caritas stated, according to the BBC. “Both were severely wounded and were transported by ambulance to Al-Ahli Hospital after a 15-minute delay.”
Three youths standing at the entrance of the church building were also seriously injured and rushed to a hospital, according to Caritas.
CNN reported that it had verified images showing the church was damaged in the attack, but that a crucifix on top of the roof appeared intact.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on Thursday reading, “Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy.”
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Pizzaballa stated that three people lost their lives and nine others were wounded, “including one in critical condition and two in serious condition.” The patriarchate identified those killed as Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, whom Caritas Jerusalem said was a 60-year-old parish janitor; Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, 84; and Najwa Abu Dawood.
The Vatican sent a telegram to victims stating that Pope Leo IVX was deeply saddened by the loss of life and had assured Romanelli “and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness.”
“His holiness renews his call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region,” it stated.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump had discussed the issue with Netanyahu, saying Netanyahu told him “it was a mistake” by the Israelis “to hit that Catholic church.”
An estimated 600 displaced people were sheltering inside the church at the time, most of them children, along with 54 people with special needs, according to the BBC.
“The Holy Family Church falls within part of Gaza City that the Israeli military has previously told locals to leave,” the BBC reported.
Caritas Jerusalem said Romanelli had urged people to remain in the rooms “due to the presence of Israeli tanks near the church compound and continuous strikes in close proximity,” according to the BBC.
“If Father Gabriel hadn’t warned us to stay indoors, we could have lost 50 to 60 people today,” a Caritas staff member told BBC. “It would have been a massacre.”
Israeli attacks killed more than 58,500 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The incident was not the first time the IDF has struck the church. On Dec. 16, 2023, IDF sniper fire killed an elderly woman and her daughter at the Holy Family Church compound, which a relative said was at that time the sixth IDF attack, according to The Washington Post.
Following the IDF sniper fire that Catholic church sources say killed Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar Kamal Anton, the latter’s brother told The Washington Post that he and others present in the church building went out and saw his mother and sister lying face down.
“When we saw Samar, we all rushed to save her, and snipers opened fire on us, wounding my two children,” Issa Antoun told The Post by phone, adding that when the continued shooting of the IDF later slowed, they recovered the bodies and buried them in a church cemetery.
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pizzaballa said at that time that an IDF sniper killed the two Christian women on the church premises in the Shejayia area of Gaza City as they were walking to the Sister’s Convent building in the compound.
“Seven more people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others inside the church compound,” Pizzaballa stated. “No warning was given, no notification was provided. They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there were no belligerents.”
The IDF on Dec. 17, 2023 issued a statement acknowledging that “an incident took place” at the church compound.
“An initial review suggests that IDF troops, who were operating against Hamas terrorists in the area, operated against a threat that they identified in the area of the church,” the IDF stated at the time. “The IDF is conducting a thorough review of the incident.”
Christians are said to have inhabited Gaza since the first century. There are fewer than 1,000 Christians estimated to remain in the strip, down from 3,000 when Hamas assumed complete control in 2007; the resulting Israeli blockade of Gaza led many Christians to flee the worsening poverty.
