UPDATE: Latin Patriarchate confirms Holy Family Church in Gaza hit, 3 deaths reported

ACI MENA, Jul 17, 2025 / 09:12 am

The Holy Family Church in Gaza was struck by an Israeli attack on Thursday, with the strike resulting in casualties and injuries among civilians present at the historic church. The pastor of the parish, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was also injured.

The direct strike killed three people — Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh and Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, confirmed by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem a few hours after the attack. A third person, Najwa Abu Daoud, succombed to her injuries a few hours later.

The patriarchate stressed that it was praying for the repose of the souls of the dead and for an end to what it called this “barbaric war.”

According to press reports, several other civilians sustained moderate to severe injuries, while Romanelli was wounded by shrapnel in his leg.

His condition was described as mild, and he later returned to check on the wounded. According to church sources in Gaza, 14 people were injured in the attack.

In its initial statement earlier in the day, the patriarchate said: “The church was attacked this morning, causing injuries among those inside, including the parish priest.” 

In Rome, the Vatican issued a statement signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressing Pope Leo XIV’s profound sorrow upon learning that lives were lost and others injured.

The Holy Father conveyed his spiritual closeness to Romanelli and the parish community, renewing his call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and expressing his desire for dialogue, reconciliation, and lasting peace in the region.

While Israel Defense Forces said it was investigating the incident, the spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Oren Marmorstein, expressed his country’s “deep regret over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualties.”

He added that the circumstances of the incident remain unclear and that the results of the investigation would be published transparently.

Holy Family Church is considered the last Christian refuge in Gaza, where dozens of families have been sheltering since the outbreak of the war in October 2023. The church also suffered partial damage in July 2024, when its surroundings were shelled, an incident that at the time drew condemnation from church leaders in the Holy Land.

This story was updated at 2:20 p.m. on July 17, 2025, to reflect the latest reports of deaths from the attack.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.