A few injured after the impact of the city city church, says Patriarchate

Several people were injured in the Holy Family Church in Gaza, with some unconfirmed reports that it had been affected by Israeli artillery shells.

The leaders of the Catholic Church only referred to being “struck by an attack” in a statement, but the Italian prime minister blamed the Israeli forces.

The Israeli military said it was aware of the reports of damage and victims in the church, adding that “the circumstances of the incident are under review.”

Many displaced Christian families from the small local community live in the Roman Catholic Church, as the war began after the destruction of their own homes. While alive, the late Pope Francis called them almost daily.

The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem said that the Argentine parish priest, Father Gabriel Romalali, was among the victims and denied initial reports of deaths.

He added that the church was damaged.

Videos and photos shared with the BBC showed that the roof was struck, near the waist and that the windows were broken.

The Latin Patriarchase said it would provide additional details when confirmed.

A video broadcast on Arabic television showed that Father Gabriel did not go unstable and checked a man at a stretcher at Al-Ali Hospital in Gaza, where the wounded were treated.

Italian Prime Minister Jorge Meloni has accused Israel, saying, “The attacks on the civil population, which Israel has been doing for months, are unacceptable.”

“No hostilities can justify such an attitude,” she added.

So far, the Vatican has not responded to a request for comment.

The Greek orthodox Patriarcham in Jerusalem condemned the blow, which he called “a gross violation of human dignity and a screaming violation of the holiness of the life and holiness of religious objects, which must secure the safe refuge in the time of war.”

He estimated that at that time 600 displaced people were sheltered inside, the bigger part of whom were children, as well as 54 people with special needs.

The church of the Holy Family falls into a part of the city of Gaza, which the Israeli military has previously told the locals to leave.

Israel began its Gaza war in revenge on the attacks led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, with about 1,200 people killed and led to 251 others to be hostage.

The Israeli attacks have since killed over 58,500 people in Gaza, according to Hamas Health Ministry. The ministry’s numbers are cited by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available to the victims.