Gaza’s only Catholic church – a refuge for many Christians during Israel’s war on Palestinians – has been bombed this morning.
Strikes pounded the Holy Family Church,killing two people and wounding several others,including the parish priest.
Father Gabriel Romanelli was very close with the late Pope Francis and the two spoke every night since the beginning of Israel’s massacre on Gaza.
The church was damaged in the attack,which witnesses said appeared to be an Israeli tank shelling.
Fr Romanelli had earlier said that no one was killed in the Israeli assault,but Caritas Jerusalem humanitarian agency later said that the janitor of the parish had died.
A statement said: ‘It is with deep sorrow,that we confirm the deaths of Mr Saad Salameh,aged 60,and Mrs Fumayya Ayyad,aged 84,following this morning’s shelling of the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza.
‘Mr Salameh,the janitor of the parish,was in the yard at the time of the explosion. Mrs Ayyad was sitting inside a Caritas psychosocial support tent when the blast sent shrapnel and debris into the area.
‘Both were critically wounded and transported to Al-Mamadani Hospital,but due to the severe lack of medical resources and blood units in Gaza,they tragically passed away.
‘Their deaths are a painful reminder of the impossible conditions faced by civilians and medical personnel under siege.’
Footage published by Palestinian photographer Abdalaziz Khalil shows the priest being treated for his injuries.
Both Christians and Muslims were sheltering inside the building at the time of the shelling (Picture: Getty)
His right leg is being bandaged,but otherwise he is believed to be in good condition.
Fadel Naem,the acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City,said both Christians and Muslims had been sheltering inside at the time of the attack.
They included several young children with disabilities. It is understood that one of them has also been injured.
Italian premier Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the church strike,saying: ‘The attacks on the civilian population that Israel has been demonstrating for months are unacceptable.
Members of the clergy hold mass for late Pope Francis at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City on April 21,2025 (Picture: PA)
‘No military action can justify such an attitude.’
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani also described the attack as a ‘serious act against a Christian place of worship,’ adding that it is ‘time to stop and find peace.’
‘The attacks by the Israeli army against the civilian population in Gaza are no longer acceptable,’ he wrote on X.
Follow us to receive the latest news updates from Metro (Picture: Getty Images)Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.The raid came as Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli strikes killed 22 people across the Palestinian territory today.
A Palestinian man injured in the Israeli strike on the Holy Family church is being treated by paramedics (Picture: Getty)Out of the Gaza’s population of two million,about 1,000 are Christians.Most of them are Orthodox but according to the Latin Patriarchate,there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.Since the early days of the war,members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City,and some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge there.Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war.In his final Easter message,a day before his death on April 21,the pontiff condemned the ‘deplorable humanitarian situation’ in the Palestinian territory.Israel’s attacks across Gaza continued yesterday,killing 80 Palestinians since dawn.At least 25 people at a Gaza food distribution site died in a stampede near the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.Unicef’s executive director Catherine Russell said that an average of 28 children are killed daily in Gaza since the war has broken out on October 7,2023.
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