This is a developing story; updates include Pope Leo's remarks.
In the early hours of Thursday, July 17, airstrikes struck the Holy Family Catholic Church in northern Gaza, injuring several people, including the parish priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli. The church, the only Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip, sustained visible damage in what witnesses described as a tank shelling.
The Israeli military has not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
Fr. Romanelli, an Argentine priest with deep pastoral ties to the community, was wounded in the leg. He is known for his close friendship with the late Pope Francis, who often phoned the parish during the war to offer encouragement and prayers.
In fact, during the last 18 months of his pontificate, the pope maintained regular contact with the church, concerned for the lives of the hundreds sheltering inside.
Pope Leo XIV sent a message through his Secretary of State, assuring his spiritual closeness and prayer.
"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 message concluded.
Thursday’s strike is the latest in the long and tragic chain of attacks in Gaza, where war has left no sanctuary untouched. The Holy Family Church has become a fragile haven for hundreds of civilians — Christians and Muslims alike — seeking refuge from the violence.
Aid to the Church in Need noted:
Just a few days ago, in a video message sent to pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Fr. Romanelli warned about the deteriorating situation.
“The situation at the municipality remains very, very serious,” he said. “The bombings continue, as you know, in Rafah, in the south of the Strip, but also in the north — the area of Jabalia and other places as well. Another day of war — another hour of war — continues to complicate the lives of tens and hundreds of thousands of people.”
In December 2023, two women were shot leaving the church and walking to the adjoining convent of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa's nuns.
Wartime policy
The attack on Holy Family Church raises renewed questions about the protection of religious and civilian sites during wartime. Under international humanitarian law, places of worship and hospitals are to be safeguarded unless used for military purposes — a point of frequent dispute in this conflict.
The Israel Defense Forces responded on X to the attack:
Still, for Gaza’s Christian minority — one of the oldest in the world — this latest attack is not just physical destruction, but spiritual heartbreak. The Holy Family parish is a symbol of endurance and communion, a light in an area long plunged into darkness.
As the world watches and prayers rise, the Church calls again for peace—not as a political slogan, but as a human necessity.
For updates on humanitarian efforts in Gaza or to help, visit caritas.org or lpj.org.
