By Currents News and Judith Sudilovsky
JERUSALEM (OSV News) – Three people were confirmed dead and nine were injured, including a parish pastor, following what initial reports say was a mid-morning Israeli tank attack on the Holy Family Parish Church in Gaza on July 17.
In a July 17 telegram, Pope Leo XIV said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza,” and assured Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest, and the whole parish community of his “spiritual closeness.” He prayed for those who died and “for the consolation of those who grieve and for the recovery of the injured.”
“His Holiness renews his call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region,” the telegram said.
RELATED: Pope Leo XIV Urges Peace, Warns Against Escalation in Middle East Conflict
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed the injuries and damage to the church in a brief morning statement. “The Holy Family Church in Gaza has been struck by a raid this morning,” the first July 17 statement said.
In a later statement, the patriarchate expressed its “deepest condemnation” of the attack, saying it was a “flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe haven in times of war.”
The statement emphasized that the bombing had destroyed large parts of the complex, forcing those with special medical needs to evacuate the area, some without the respirators they need to survive, endangering their lives.
Click here to read the follow-up statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
“At this critical moment, the Patriarchate affirms that churches are spiritual and humanitarian beacons, serving everyone without discrimination,” the statement said. “It also calls on the international community and United Nations agencies to provide urgent protection for religious institutions and humanitarian centers in the Gaza Strip and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, which criminalizes the targeting of civilians and places of worship.”
The parishioners confirmed dead by the Latin Patriarchate were Saad Salameh, 60, Fumayya Ayyad, 84, and Najwa Abu Daoud, a woman in her 70s. Salameh was the janitor of the parish and was in the yard at the time of explosions, a July 17 Caritas press release said. Ayyad was sitting inside a Caritas psychological support tent when the blast sent shrapnel to the area and fatally injured her. Abu Daoud was sitting in the same tent as Ayyad, the patriarchate’s CEO Sami El-Yousef confirmed to OSV News.
In a July 17 statement posted on X, Israel Defense Forces said it is “aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review.”
“The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them,” the IDF said.
Despite sustaining a light leg injury, parish priest Father Romanelli was shown placing his hand on the forehead of an injured man being carried out on a stretcher in a video broadcast by the Al-Arabiya TV station as he was accompanied by two men — one of whom was holding a bandage to the side of his face.
Father Romanelli was also transferred to the Al-Ahli Arab hospital for treatment, according to Reuters, but left after receiving care.
Photos show part of the church’s roof next to the cross blown away by the tank fire with burned marks down the wall, and windows shattered.
“The explosion occurred near the cross on the church roof, scattering shrapnel and debris across the yard,” said Caritas Jerusalem in a statement, adding that the church was “struck by a shell.”
The two elderly women had been sitting inside the Caritas psychosocial support tent when they were injured, the statement said. Three young people standing at the entrance of the church were also seriously injured, according to the statement.
The statement said Father Romanelli had been urging people to stay inside their rooms over the past week as the fighting in the area intensified.
“If Father Gabriel hadn’t warned us to stay indoors, we could have lost 50 to 60 people today. It would have been a massacre,” the statement quoted one of “our Caritas colleagues.”
“Yesterday, the threat became especially severe due to the presence of Israeli tanks near the church compound and continuous strikes in close proximity,” said the statement.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the Israeli strike and said it was “unacceptable.”
“With the Holy Father, the Catholic bishops of the United States are deeply saddened to learn about the deaths and injuries at Holy Family Church in Gaza caused by a military strike,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services.
He said the bishops joined their prayers with the pope for Father Romanelli, for his parishioners and especially for the families of those killed and injured. “With the Holy Father, we also continue to pray and advocate for dialogue and an immediate ceasefire.”
The Christian community of the Holy Family Parish now numbers around 600, the Latin patriarchate said in a statement.
Prior to the July 17 attack, the parish priest of this small Christian community in the Gaza Strip admitted in a recent Vatican News interview that his flock was already exhausted by war and a severe lack of food.
RELATED: Pope Francis Speaks to Catholics in Gaza Parish After Ceasefire
For many months before he died April 21, Pope Francis would call Father Romanelli nearly every night to ask the priest about the well-being of the Holy Family Parish community, those sheltering at the church’s compound and the overall situation in Gaza. The calls, which Father Romanelli described as “blessed,” provided comfort and support for the parish community.
“The Latin Patriarchate strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place,” church leaders of the Holy Land wrote in a July 17 statement released in the afternoon local time. “However, this tragedy is not greater or more terrible than the many others that have befallen Gaza. Many other innocent civilians have also been harmed, displaced and killed. Death, suffering and destruction are everywhere.”
“The time has come for leaders to raise their voices and to do all what is necessary in order to stop this tragedy which is humanly and morally, unjustified,” the patriarchate said.