Washington D.C., Jul 5, 2023 / 15:10 pm
The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem condemned the Israeli government and urged peace and dialogue between both sides after the Israel Defense Forces launched air and ground attacks on the Jenin refugee camp in the Palestinian West Bank.
IDF soldiers conducted a 48-hour military campaign starting on Monday, July 3, which was meant to destroy “terrorist infrastructure,” according to an IDF statement.
The strikes killed at least 12 people, including five minors. More than 100 others were hospitalized and at least 20 are in critical condition. The military offensive also destroyed homes, buildings, and roads throughout the camp and took out the water supply and the electricity grid in most of the camp. Thousands of Palestinians fled the attack.
Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who has jurisdiction over Roman-rite Catholics in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, condemned the military operation and bemoaned the damage to the Roman Catholic parish in Jenin.