Israel regrets a deadly blow to the Catholic Church in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country “deeply regrets that homeless ammunition” struck Gaza’s only Catholic Church, killing three people sheltering there.

“Every life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of families and faithful” he said in a statement.

The incident took place on Thursday when an Israeli hit struck the Holy Family Church in Gaza. Several people were also injured, said the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who leads the small parish.

Pope Leo XIV said he was “deeply saddened to learn about losing life and injury”, renewing your call to end the fire of gas.

In his statement, Netanyahu said Israel “investigated the incident and remained committed to defending civilians and holy sites.”

A statement later, on Thursday, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said: “An initial investigation of reports on wounded persons in the Holy Family Church in Gaza suggests that the fragments of a shell fired during operational activity in the area struck the church wrongly. The cause of the incident is considered.

“The IDF directs its strikes only for military purposes and makes all the feasible efforts to mitigate the harm of civilian and religious structures and regrets all the involuntary damage caused to them,” the statement added.

Earlier during the day, White House spokesman Carolyn Levit said that US President Donald Trump had no “positive reaction” to the attack on the church.

Trump called Netanyahu to discuss the incident on Thursday morning. During the conversation, Netanyahu described the attack as a “mistake”, Levitus pointed to it.

The patriarch said that the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was part of those who were injured in the attack.

It said that people had found a “sanctuary” in the church “in the hope that the horrors of war could at least spare their lives after homes, possessions and dignity were already undressed.”

He added that “the war should reach a full end.”