A strike on Gaza’s solely Catholic church injured a number of individuals on Thursday, the territory’s civil defence company and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem mentioned, as Italy’s prime minister slammed “unacceptable” Israeli assaults on civilians.
The raid got here as Gaza’s civil defence company reported that Israeli strikes killed 18 individuals throughout the Palestinian territory on Thursday.
“The Holy Household Church in Gaza has been struck by a raid this morning. There are a number of accidents within the place together with the Parish Priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli,” Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarchate mentioned in an announcement.
It added that no fatalities had been confirmed however that the church had sustained injury.
Gaza’s civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal informed AFP {that a} strike on the Catholic church resulted in accidents, together with the priest.
The Israeli army mentioned it was “wanting into it” when contacted by AFP.
– ‘Critical act’ –
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni mentioned that “Israeli strikes on Gaza have additionally hit the Holy Household Church”, a parish in Gaza Metropolis with which the late Pope Francis had common contact all through the struggle.
“The assaults towards the civilian inhabitants carried out by Israel for months are unacceptable,” Meloni mentioned in a put up on X.
“No army motion can justify such behaviour.”
Out of the Gaza Strip’s inhabitants of greater than two million, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox however in keeping with the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics within the territory.
Because the early days of the struggle which erupted in October 2023, members of the Catholic neighborhood have been sheltering on the Holy Household Church compound in Gaza Metropolis, and a few Orthodox Christians have additionally discovered refuge there.
Pope Francis repeatedly known as for an finish to the struggle. In his closing Easter message, a day earlier than his demise on April 21, he condemned the “deplorable humanitarian state of affairs” within the Palestinian territory.
Italian International Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday denounced “a severe act towards a Christian place of worship”.
“I supply my honest condolences to Father Romanelli, who was wounded within the raid,” he posted on X.
– ‘Completely unacceptable’ –
Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, the pinnacle of Catholic charity l’Oeuvre d’Orient, informed AFP the raid was “completely unacceptable”.
“It’s a place of worship. It’s a Catholic church recognized for its peaceable angle, for being a peacemaker. These are people who find themselves on the service of the inhabitants,” he mentioned.
“There was no strategic goal, there have been no jihadists on this church. There have been households, there have been civilians. That is completely unacceptable and we condemn within the strongest potential phrases this angle on the a part of Israel.”
Greater than 21 months of struggle have created dire humanitarian circumstances for Gaza’s inhabitants, displacing most residents a minimum of as soon as and triggering extreme shortages of meals and different necessities.
The struggle was triggered by a Hamas assault on Israel, which resulted within the deaths of 1,219 individuals, most of them civilians, in keeping with an AFP tally based mostly on official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory army offensive has killed a minimum of 58,573 Palestinians, principally civilians, in keeping with the well being ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
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